Josh Donaldson has maintained that there was no racist or disrespectful intent behind the remark he made to Tim Anderson. Despite that, his New York Yankees teammates did not defend him. That is something that bothered Donaldson.
Donaldson was suspended one game for calling Anderson “Jackie” during last Saturday’s game between the Yankees and Chicago White Sox. Anderson said Donaldson was being racist, while Donaldson says the comment was a reference to Anderson comparing himself to Jackie Robinson in a 2019 interview with Sports Illustrated.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone said the remark is “somewhere (Donaldson) should not be going.” Aaron Judge was also asked about the situation and said “I just don’t think it’s the right thing to do there.” On Wednesday, Donaldson told reporters he was disappointed by the lack of support.
“I think that was tough to hear, for sure, just for the simple fact that I pride myself on being a good teammate, and everywhere I’ve went, every organization that I’ve been a part of, minus Oakland, has offered me extensions, has wanted me to stay back,” Donaldson said, via The Associated Press.
Donaldson also said he was bothered by White Sox pitcher Liam Hendricks, his former teammate, criticizing him.
“I know Liam has come out a couple times and said some stuff about me,” Donaldson said. “It’s weird because I hear one thing and then when I see him it’s different. So it’s definitely been confusing for that. I’m not saying that every one of my teammates have always been best friends with.”
Donaldson’s explanation for why he called Anderson “Jackie” makes sense, especially since Anderson actually compared himself to Robinson. If Donaldson’s teammates believe him, they should defend him or, at the very least, not condemn him publicly.
If MLB cannot prove that Donaldson’s comment was racist, suspending him sets a terrible precedent. That is essentially the league’s way of saying a player can be suspended for talking trash. You can understand why Donaldson feels he has been unfairly portrayed.
