“Not what I was trying to do” – Yankees’ Josh Donaldson criticized over “racist” comment to White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson
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Tim Anderson and Josh Donaldson
The New York Yankees beat the Chicago White Sox 7-5 to retain the top spot in the AL East division of the American League. Meanwhile, the former’s third baseman Josh Donaldson drew massive criticism from Chicago White Sox manager Tony La Russa and shortstop Tim Anderson for passing allegedly “racist” remarks.
This incident took place during the first inning of the Yankees-White Sox clash on Saturday when Donaldson called Anderson “Jackie” about a 2019 comment where the latter said he felt like today’s Jackie Robinson. After the game, Anderson did try to explain why he felt disrespected and La Russa said it was “racist” for Donaldson to call him that.
“He made a racist comment and that’s all I’m going to say,” La Russa told reporters after the game, adding the accusation is “as strong as it gets.”
“Wasn’t really going to bother anybody today”
Talking about the incident, Anderson, 28, reckoned that “it was unnecessary” and disrespectful at the same time. In reply, the Florida native Donaldson issued an apology for hurting Anderson’s feelings, saying he had previously called him “Jackie” and felt it was a sort of inside joke between the two.
“He just made a disrespectful comment,” Anderson said. “Basically he was trying to call me Jackie Robinson. ‘What’s up, Jackie?’ I don’t play like that. I don’t really play at all. I wasn’t really going to bother anybody today, but he made the comment and you know it was disrespectful and I don’t think it was called for. It was unnecessary.”
“My meaning of that is not any term trying to be racist by any fact of the matter,” Donaldson said. “Obviously, he deemed it disrespectful. And look, if he did, I apologize. That’s not what I was trying to do in any manner and that’s what happened.”
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Sachin Arora
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