alejandro kirk

Man accused of body shaming Toronto Blue Jays player has apologized

The man who recently caught some flack for body shaming Toronto Blue Jays catcher Alejandro Kirk has now apologized.

The events began on Wednesday night when 23-year-old Kirk made an impressive run from first to home during a game against the Tampa Bay Rays.

The Toronto Blue Jays tweeted out footage from the play, and praised Mexico-native Kirk for his determination and hustle.

However, the celebratory moment turned sour when a Quebec-based TSN sports reporter @matthewwords (whose account has since been deleted), expressed some thoughts regarding Kirk that some people found unnecessary and insulting.

"Imagine how much better he'd be if he were in better shape," tweeted the account belonging to a person named Matthew Ross.

"It's cute and all, but it's also embarrassing for the sport," he continued. "Giving guys like this prominence feeds negative baseball stereotypes."

The tweets picked up some considerable heat, and Blue Jays pitcher Alek Manoah decided to clap back and defend his teammate.

Manoah suggested that Ross' words could have damaging impacts on young baseball players who may be struggling with body image issues.

The reporter at the centre of all the controversy attempted to justify himself, saying that he was questioning the optics of a pro-baseball player, rather than fat-shaming.

However, Ross issued an apology Saturday night, claiming that he never meant any ill-intent when posting his tweets about Kirk.

"When the Jays posted the clip of Mr. Kirk running the bases, I took it as tongue in cheek, almost as though they were poking fun," he explained.

"When Mr. Manaoh defended his teammate, and I wish all of us had a friend as great as he is, the narrative went in a different direction, referring to all people who may be struggling with body issues," Ross wrote.

"As some who experienced the horrors of bullying, and who has seen people close to me deal with very painful body related struggles, my heart broke that anyone could think of me as this monster," he continued.

Ross admitted that he was insensitive and wrong for posting his tweets, and that he will continue to evolve past this situation.

Lead photo by

@bluejays


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