Kevin Mather.Photo: Otto Greule Jr/Getty
Stanton revealed that he is “acting as president and CEO until a successor can be chosen,” and thanked Mather “for his 25 years of service to our franchise,” sharing that his former colleague’s resignation was “effective immediately.”
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Seattle Mariners logo.Lindsey Wasson/Getty
He added that the grouphas “a lot of work to do to make amends,“promising “that work is already underway” and concluding, “Everyone at the Seattle Mariners remains committed to our mission of winning on the field and serving our fans and communities off the field. We will demonstrate that commitment through our actions.”
“We just rehired Iwakuma; he was a pitcher with us for a number of years. Wonderful human being; his English was terrible,” Mather said of the Japanese athlete, 39. “He wanted to get back into the game; he came to us. We quite frankly want him as our Asian scout/interpreter, what’s going on with the Japanese league. He’s comingto spring training.”
“And I’m going to say, I’m tired of paying his interpreter,” Mather continued. “When he was a player, we’d pay Iwakuma ‘X,’ but we’d also have to pay $75,000 a year to have an interpreter with him. His English suddenly got better. His English got better when we told him that.”
He also said of 20-year-old outfielderJulio Rodríguez, who is Dominican, “[He’s] got a personality bigger than all of you combined. He is loud. His English is not tremendous.”
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“It is offensive, and it is not surprising that fans and others around the game are offended as well,” the organization continued. “Players remain committed to confronting these issues and the bargaining table and elsewhere.”
Mathers concluded, “I amcommitted to make amends for the things I saidthat were personally hurtful and I will do whatever it takes to repair the damage I have caused to the Seattle Mariners organization.”
source: people.com
