x
Breaking News
More () »

Sean Newcomb apologizes to Braves players, condemns content of homophobic tweets

Newcomb, 25, read a prepared statement to the assembled Atlanta press, apologizing for the inexcusable actions from his younger days.

ATLANTA–On Sunday, Braves pitcher Sean Newcomb finished one agonizing strike away from tossing the first Braves-related no-hitter since 1994.

Roughly an hour later, the rookie southpaw made national headlines for very different reasons, after a series of homophobic Tweets from years ago went viral.

Was the report initially exploiting/condemning the Tweets always planned for Sunday?

Or did the people holding this information wait until Newcomb became tangibly famous for a baseball accomplishment, thus making the news more prominent?

VOTE | Should Sean Newcomb be disciplined for old tweets?

We may never know the answer to both questions. Regardless, Newcomb was there to face the proverbial music on Monday afternoon, addressing the media about his 24-hour turn in the sports/non-sports spotlight.

The 25-year-old Newcomb first read a prepared statement to the assembled press, apologizing for the inexcusable actions from his younger days (the majority of damning Tweets covered his teen-age or college years).

As a caveat, though, the Middleboro, Mass. native doesn't specifically recall sending the controversial Tweets.

Newcomb then fielded a number of questions pertaining to the controversy.

"I just want to say that I'm sorry for the language that surfaced on my Twitter account," said Newcomb, holding court at a SunTrust Park dugout. "It's not acceptable in any way. I don't think that's any kind of language that should be used, in any context."

During this period, Newcomb stated he had already apologized to the Braves players and coaches.

Consequently, Newcomb was happy to report his teammates would support him through this ordeal.

Moving forward, it'll be interesting to gauge the baseball fans' response to Newcomb in the coming weeks.

Three weeks ago, the fans at Milwaukee's Miller Park took some heat nationally for giving Brewers reliever Josh Hader a standing ovation–just a few days after a handful of racially insensitive Tweets from Hader's young-adult years went viral.

In Newcomb's case, his next two starts will likely occur on the road–at the Mets (Aug. 3) and at the Nationals (Aug. 9).

If this projections holds form, Newcomb's next SunTrust Park outing will take place on either Aug. 14 or 15 against the Marlins.

On the field, Newcomb has been one of the Braves' strongest assets among pitchers, enjoying strong marks with victories (10), ERA (3.23) and WHIP (1.20).

Before You Leave, Check This Out