Mather spoke about foreign players’ ability to speak English, the team’s staff decisions and financial situation and the tactics the team used to limit the service time of young prospects – a maneuver that enables the team to have longer control over to retain the player. .
Stanton said he was “extremely disappointed” when he heard about Mather’s comments to the Rotary Club.
“I want to apologize to every member of the Seattle Mariners organization, especially our players and our fans,” Mather told MLB.com. “There is no excuse for my behavior, and I take full responsibility for my terrible decline in judgment (sic).”
Comments arouse indignation over MLB
The outrage over Mather’s comments spread throughout the league, including from some individuals to whom Mather’s comments refer.
In the team’s statement announcing Mather’s resignation, Stanton said “[Mather’s] comments were inappropriate and do not represent the feelings of our organization about our players, staff and supporters. ‘
“There is no excuse for what has been said, and I will not try to make one,” Stanton added. “I offer my sincere apologies on behalf of the club and my partners to our players and fans. We need to be better and do better.”
Stanton will assume the role of acting team president and CEO until a successor is announced.
The MLB Players Association was also very critical of Mather’s comments. In a statement, the MLBPA called the Mather video “a very disturbing, yet critically important window on how players are truly viewed by management” and said the comments provided a “filtered look at club thinking”.
“It’s offensive, and it’s not surprising that fans and other people are offended as well,” the MLBPA said in a statement.
Mather also got controversy in 2018
This is not the first time Mather has had to apologize for his actions while being appointed as an executive at Mariners. In 2018, he apologized after it came to light that two female team workers complained between 2009 and 2010 about inappropriate language use and actions of Mather, while Mather served as executive vice president of the team.
“Throughout my career, I have tried to treat people with respect and professionalism,” Mather said in 2018. “As I came through the ranks, I thought I should be a hard drive driver, but I realized that sometimes I came across intimidating or even mean. I also participated in jokes and was sometimes too familiar in ways I realized were inappropriate in the workplace.
“I did not realize at the time how my actions affected the people around me. I am really sorry for the people I hurt and how I encountered them. It was a humble experience and I tried to learn from my mistakes. I take full responsibility for my actions, and I was grateful for the opportunity to change my behavior and the management training I received. I worked to be a better employee, a better leader and a better person. word. ‘
The Mariners said at the time that after investigating the allegations against Mather, the organization had “imposed appropriate disciplinary, management and sensitivity training and other remedial action”.
The Mariners also revealed that the team had ‘corrected’ the female employees involved.
“Kevin has learned from the experience and has been an excellent manager and manager ever since,” Stanton said in a 2018 statement. The Mariners owners took that into account, as well as Kevin’s work history and nearly 20 years of performance, when they promoted him to president in 2014 and CEO last year. We would not have promoted Kevin if we doubted his ability to lead and meet our high standards. ‘