Torii Hunter, the Detroit Tigers’ new right fielder, is attracting unwanted attention after saying he would feel “uncomfortable” playing with a gay teammate.
“For me, as a Christian … I will be uncomfortable because in all my teachings and all my learning, biblically, it’s not right,” Hunter told the Los Angeles Times.
“For me, as a Christian…I will be uncomfortable because in all my teachings and all my learning, biblically, it’s not right,” the former Angels outfielder told the publication. “It will be difficult and uncomfortable.”
Hunter also drew criticism in 2010 for calling dark-skinned Latino baseball players “impostors” in a USA Today interview.
“People see dark faces out there, and the perception is that they’re African-American. They’re not us. They’re impostors,” he told Bob Nightengale. He went on to note, “As African-American players, we have a theory that baseball can go get an imitator and pass them off as us…It’s like, ‘Why should I get this kid from the South Side of Chicago and have Scott Boras represent him and pay him $5 million when you can get a Dominican guy for a bag of chips?'”
Despite those comments, many former teammates have described Hunter as thoughtful, tolerant and friendly.
Hunter sounded off on Twitter, saying his comments about gay people were taken out of context.
New Tiger Torii Hunter is thrust into unwanted spotlight over homophobic comment added by Steve Neavling on
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Steve Neavling
Steve Neavling lives and works in Detroit as an investigative journalist. His stories have uncovered corruption, led to arrests and reforms and prompted FBI investigations.
