Boston Red Sox Outfielder Jarren Duran Apologizes For Homophobic Slur Directed At Heckling Fan

Those hot mics will get ya.

Unfortunately for athletes, they’re often surrounded by microphones that can pick up what they say anywhere on the field – whether that’s what they’re there for or not. And Boston Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran learned that the hard way.

During yesterday’s game against the Houston Astros, Duran was caught on the broadcast responding to a heckling fan with a homophobic slur.

The fan could be heard yelling at Duran as he stepped up to the plate:

“Tennis racket. You need a tennis racket.”

And Duran responded, though it seems like it was more to himself than anyone else because it didn’t sound like it was loud enough for the fan himself to hear (though ironically, the whole world ended up hearing it).

“Shut up you f**king f***ot.”

(Not sure if he was trying to rhyme with the fan, but apparently Duran is quite the unintentional poet).

After the game, the outfielder issued an apology through the team:

“During tonight’s game, I used a truly horrific word when responding to a fan. I feel awful knowing how many people I offended and disappointed. I apologize to the entire Red Sox organization, but more importantly to the entire LGBTQ community.

Our young fans are supposed to be able to look up to me as a role model, but tonight I fell far short of that responsibility. I will use this opportunity to educate myself and my teammates and to grow as a person.”

And the team also issued a statement on the incident:

“The Red Sox addressed this incident with Jarren immediately following today’s game,” the team said. “We echo Jarren’s apology to our fans, especially to the LGBTQ community. We strive to be an organization that welcomes all fans to Fenway Park, and we will continue to educate our employees, players, coaches and staff on the importance of inclusivity.”

As of right now there’s been no word on whether Duran will be disciplined for the slur, either by the MLB or the Red Sox. But back in 2017, Toronto Blue Jays outfielder was suspended for two games after using the same word – although in his case, it was directed towards an opposing pitcher and resulted in the benches clearing before order was restored.

I guess we’ll just have to wait and see whether Duran will have to spend some time sitting out, or whether they’ll just send him to some sensitivity training and call it a day.