The Boston Red Sox have been forced to keep the damage under control after a homophobic tweet from pitcher Matt Dermody resurfaced.
The 32-year-old shared a tweet in 2021, when he was still a member of the Japanese team the Saitama Seibu Lions, declaring homosexuality a sin.
His tweet, which appeared to be about Pride month, claimed it was the “truth” that homosexuals would go to hell.
‘#PrideMonth. Homosexuals will not inherit the kingdom of God,” Dermody had written.
‘They will go to hell. That’s not my opinion, but the #Truth. Read 1 Corinthians 6:9. May we all examine our hearts, ask Jesus to forgive us and repent of our sins. I love you all in Christ Jesus!’
Boston Red Sox pitcher Matt Dermody’s homophobic tweet from 2021 has resurfaced
The Red Sox claim they were unaware of the tweet, as the southpaw deleted it before signing with Boston in January.
Boston claimed that as soon as it learned about it, team officials met with Dermody, who underwent mandatory anti-discrimination and harassment training in March.
“What Matt posted in 2021 was hurtful — and we discussed this with him when we learned about it after he joined the Red Sox in 2023,” team president and CEO Sam Kennedy said in a statement. “We cannot dictate the religious beliefs or political views of our players and employees, but we do require that they treat people in our organization and ballpark with respect and professionalism.”
Red Sox manager Alex Cora echoed Kennedy’s position.
“Obviously, as an organization, we’ve made this decision and done a lot of things to educate our players on this topic,” Cora said as she sat in the dugout at Progressive Field for the series finale. “I don’t know how many organizations are doing with their employees and their players in terms of educating them about being inclusive, and of course accepting everyone in your clubhouse and your work environment.”
Dermody came from Triple-A Worcester and made his first major league start against the Guardians on Thursday-evening.
Fans were upset that Dermody got his first start and the Red Sox assigned him for assignment once the game was over.
He gave up two of Jose Ramirez’s three home runs and took the loss as the Red Sox were beaten 10–3 by the Guardians.
Red Sox manager Alex Cora claimed the organization educated its players on issues
Afterwards, Dermody expressed some remorse for his actions.
“I regret the tweet in the sense that it came across as hurtful and hurt a lot of people,” he said. “That’s the last thing I want to do, hurt people. A lot of people think I’m against a certain group of people or whatever. But I am for everyone who reaches heaven.’
Dermody is expected to be designated for assignment on Friday as one of several roster moves by the Red Sox.
Cora said it’s not for him to have an opinion on Dermody’s beliefs.
“Obviously not too many people agree with Matt’s tweet,” Cora said. “I’m not here to tell him what to say or do. But one thing is for sure, when you put on this uniform, we want people to be inclusive.
‘I think the clubhouse is a reflection of the world. We have people of different races, different beliefs, not just religious beliefs but also political.’
The incident is just one of many that have marred MLB’s Pride Month celebrations.
Pitcher Anthony Bass has been listed for assignment by the Toronto Blue Jays 11 days after he shared an anti-LGBTQ+ message on social media.
The right-handed enlightener shared a post on his Instagram stories in May calling for anti-LGBTQ+ boycotts from Target and Bud Light for their support for the LGBTQ+ community.
The post described the sale of LGBTQ+ merchandise as “evil” and “demonic,” with both companies recently launching campaigns in support of the community.
Anthony Bass was listed for assignment by the Blue Jays after sharing an anti-LGBTQ post
Bass shared an Instagram post calling for a boycott of a Bud Light ad featuring Dylan Mulvaney
Two Dodgers pitchers have spoken out against the presence of the Sisters of Indulgence at the organization’s Pride Night on June 16 after the invitation was initially withdrawn
The latest event held by the anti-Christian LGBTQ group shows a man performing a stripper routine over a man posing as Jesus while tied to a crucifix – a sacred Christian symbol
Both companies are dealing with the fallout from those campaigns, including hostile and homophobic criticism and calls from LGBTQ+ activists not to give in to anti-LGBTQ+ groups. The fallout from Anheuser Busch’s decision to partner with actress Mulvaney caused the company to lose an astonishing $27 billion in just a few months.
The Blue Jays’ decision to designate him for assignment comes just hours before the first of the franchise’s two Pride nights at Rogers Center, where Toronto hosts the Minnesota Twins on Friday.
In the meantime. the Dodgers have come under fire for scheduling, then canceling, and then rescheduling the anti-Christian LGBTQ drag group Sisters of Perpetual Indulggence to be part of the Pride Month celebrations.
LA stars Clayton Kershaw and Blake Treinen have spoken out against the franchise’s decision to welcome the group to Pride Night and then present them with a Community Hero award.