Toronto Blue Jays shortstop Yunel
Escobar has been given a 3-game suspension for etching an anti-gay
slur on his eye-black, a sticker players wear under their eyes to
reduce sun glare.
In last weekend's game against Boston,
Escobar wrote in Spanish “you are” in his left eye-black and
“fagot” in his right.
The 29-year-old Cuban native apologized
“to all those who have been offended,” saying it was meant to be
“just a joke.”
“It was not something I intended to
be offensive,” he said in Spanish. “It was not anything intended
to be directed at anyone in particular.”
“I don't have anything against
homosexuals,” he said, explaining that the word “maricon”
doesn't “have the significance to the way it's being interpreted
now.”
The 3-game suspension will cost Escobar
$82,000. The money will be donated to two groups: the Gay &
Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) and You Can Play.
“Today's actions show that MLB and
the Toronto Blue Jays are committed to creating an environment that
all fans and families can enjoy, not a place where discriminatory
language and anti-gay attitudes are accepted,” said GLAAD president
Herndon Graddick.