Blue Jays pitcher Anthony Bass issued an apology Tuesday afternoon for sharing an anti-LGBTQ video on his Instagram story a day earlier.
The video urged people to boycott brands such as Target and Bud Light for their support of LGBTQ causes. Bass has since removed the post from his account.
Bass addressed the media before Tuesday’s game against the Brewers to make a public apology, but he did not take any questions.
“I recognize yesterday that I made a post that was hurtful to the Pride community, which includes friends of mine and close family members of mine, and I am truly sorry for that,” Bass said. “I just spoke with my teammates and shared with them my actions yesterday, and apologized with them.
“And, as of right now, I’m using the Blue Jays’ resources to better educate myself and make better decisions moving forward. The ballpark is for everybody. We include all fans at the ballpark, and we want to welcome everybody. That’s all I have to say. Thank you.”
Anthony Bass did not take questions from the media. Here’s his statement.
“The ballpark is for everybody.” – Bass #BlueJays #Sportsnet pic.twitter.com/6t4SqKvs96
— Hazel Mae (@thehazelmae) May 30, 2023
The Blue Jays will host their annual Pride Weekend celebration on June 9 and 10. Toronto manager John Schneider addressed the issue on Tuesday as well, crediting Bass for taking responsibility for his actions, though he emphasized that more steps would be required for Bass in the wake of Monday’s post.
“We’re not going to pretend like this never happened. We’re not going to pretend like it’s the end and move on,” Schneider said, adding that Bass is not expected to be disciplined by the team. “There are definitely more steps that are going to follow.”