Roger McDowell lucky to be suspended only two weeks
Braves pitching coach Roger McDowell will escape with only a two-week suspension.
This would be a good day for Roger McDowell to play the lottery. He’ll never be luckier than he is right now.
McDowell has been suspended for two weeks without pay and fined an undisclosed amount for alleged anti-gay slurs and his inappropriate conduct toward fans in San Francisco last week. He also has been ordered to take sensitivity training.
Say thank you, Roger.
Baseball commissioner Bud Selig — who last week suspended Ozzie Guillen two games for something as trivial as Tweeting — could have slammed McDowell.
I’ve heard from several readers who believe the Braves should have fired him. I wasn’t in that camp, but I do believe a suspension of at least 30 games was in order.
“I understand the decision made today by the commissioner,” McDowell said in a statement. “I am embarrassed by my actions and I plan to give a personal apology to Mr. [Justin] Quinn and his family. I would also like to offer a public and heartfelt apology to the fans of San Francisco, to the Atlanta Braves organization, my family and to Major League Baseball.”
The official news release did not give specifics of McDowell’s exchange with fans. But neither did it dispute anything that has been reported or brought out at Quinn’s news conference last week. Allegations include various homophobic slurs, a crude joke involving a baseball bat and an exchange with Quinn, a father of two, who claimed McDowell said to him, “How much are your teeth worth?”
A story in Sunday’s San Francisco Chronicle quoted another fan that corroborated many of Quinn’s claims.
In short, it is alleged McDowell spewed anti-gay remarks and made a quasi-threat to a fan. Whether he was joking or not, that can’t be tolerated.
Certainly, nobody was coming to McDowell’s defense Sunday. Even Braves team president John Schuerholz said, “We are clearly disappointed in Roger’s remarks and actions and the Atlanta Braves organization does not tolerate that kind of behavior.”
McDowell’s two-week suspension is retroactive to last Friday, which means he can return on Friday the 13th (go figure) against Philadelphia. It’s a little sooner than some might have expected.
Say thank you, Roger.
FOR LIVE BLOG ON TODAY’S GAME: Click here.
By Jeff Schultz
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136 comments Add your comment
buzz is wiser
May 1st, 2011
5:46 pm
I’m usually on the Tech blogs but I had to say something. The Braves found themselves in a tough situation this week. McDowell most likely using the f word and that is one of those words that you just don’t say, especially to someone you don’t know and as a person in his position. Should he have been fired, no. It’s one of many slurs that are offensive. But why did D. Lowe start today, what he did today was far worse and irresponsible than that of McDowell in my opinion. McDowell just hurt some feelings, Lowe could’ve killed somebody and was illegal, where is his suspension? Its just strange that nothing has yet happened to Lowe for his irresponsible actions. By the way, does anybody know R. Furcal punishment when he did this some years back?
America, land of the sweet
May 1st, 2011
5:49 pm
I hope McDowell counter sues. In no way would he have ever said those things to any fan without being provoked. I hope Mr Quinn gets carpet burns on BOTH his knees for this.
College Park
May 1st, 2011
5:51 pm
What is America coming to?
kirkinga
May 1st, 2011
5:54 pm
Look for the Braves to now face even more heckling than ever.
Of course, “we like our Ross better”, is hardly provocative.
spike
May 1st, 2011
5:55 pm
The comments in this thread – well, let’s just say you’re all doing a fabulous job of living down to expectations.
All fours
May 1st, 2011
5:59 pm
Personall I think the Atlanta Braves organization and Roger McDowell should both apologize to all the good queers of San Fransisco and Atlanta.
All fours
May 1st, 2011
6:01 pm
It’s OK for the Met’s fans to call Chipper, “Larry”, but not OK if they call him “fairy”?
sweet pants
May 1st, 2011
6:02 pm
hey Roger, bend over and take it like a man!
Al Campanis
May 1st, 2011
6:05 pm
homo’s lack the necessities too
Double standard
May 1st, 2011
6:25 pm
I disagree with what Al Campanis, sweet pants, All fours and Ben Dover said, but they certainly have the same Constitutional rights to speak here as the hecklers did at Candlestick. Do they not? Am I missing something? Or does, Al, sp, All and Ben need a good lawyer with instant access to the world wide media?
Braves' Lowe bounces back from arrest and first inning | Jeff Schultz
May 1st, 2011
6:58 pm
[...] All was well with this typically non-film-at-11 franchise once again – well, unless you count the two-week suspension to pitching coach Roger McDowell for saying unbelievably stupid [...]
Jeff Schultz
May 1st, 2011
7:00 pm
Folks, my column on Derek Lowe is posted.
http://blogs.ajc.com/jeff-schultz-blog/2011/05/01/braves-lowe-bounces-back-from-arrest-and-first-inning/
Roger McLucky
May 1st, 2011
7:08 pm
“statement” this, “statement” that .. has this guy ever come out in public to say anything or is he just hiding and releasing these “statements” (that for all we know could be written by his publicist)?
You say “I am embarrassed by my actions” but just releasing statements does not show that at all
Chris
May 1st, 2011
7:09 pm
Voice of Reason, I did not say what McDowell did was o.k. What I meant was for the fan to act like he was so hurt that his children had to see and hear what McDowell did in front of his children, he had no problems using them as props and exposing them to more vulgar acts as he acted out what happened, Also even though you are told not to react to fans, they should not have freedom to say anything they want to players and coaches. I doubt Roger just decided to pick on fans for fun.
D(UI) Lowe
May 1st, 2011
7:13 pm
“TRIPLEDART: Who the hell cares.Jeff your a punk ass write about something that matters”
yeah, the atlanta braves pitching coach is suspended for 30 days Jeff .. write about something baseball related!!! .. oh wait
“You work for the worst paper in the country”
that would be the NYT
“and always never have your facts straight.sort like your private life”
and now we know who DLowe was racing, this drunkie right here
Larry
May 1st, 2011
7:17 pm
What utter garbage. Whatever happened to Freedom of Speech, including the right to be an a**h**e? Gloria Allred is overwhelming evidence that this is a completely bs case. PC is very quickly and very completely destroying this country. Then what will the terminally offended do?
braves rule
May 1st, 2011
7:30 pm
just cut that money hungry family a check for a couple of hundred thousand–that’s all they want. But, their high priced attorney will want her 40% cut, so the braves better bump the offer to $300,000 to keep them quiet.
Chaps
May 1st, 2011
7:45 pm
I’m sure MLB closely examined any video that might be around and interviewed everyone they could find seated nearby. If they had found one scintilla of evidence that he did all he was accused of, he would be fired. They didn’t so they gave him a suspension for PR sake.
Stephen Frazier
May 1st, 2011
7:55 pm
That’s funny, until this very moment I had no idea that there was such a thing as a gay SLUR in SAN FRANCISCO.
I thought calling someone in Frisco gay was like calling someone in Indiana a Hoosier.
My bad.
gt4ever
May 1st, 2011
8:14 pm
This is such a JOKE!
DC Braves Fan
May 1st, 2011
9:06 pm
So to sum up — for a second time — McDowell said something really stupid, had no justification for doing so, and is lucky he still has a job. Wow. Such deep insights. You know, a good opinion writer actually should try to persuade people, not just tell us how they feel, particularly when what they tell us is so utterly lacking in insight.
Really
May 1st, 2011
10:11 pm
Jeff
I was in San Fran for the series and by braves .
Roger never said what has been reported.
Also Terry, John and frank told roger to apologize regardless of his innocence!
Please dig deeper
UGA Poofer
May 1st, 2011
11:08 pm
I just don’t see how we can accept anything less than a public whipping followed with a hanging.
Nick Yang
May 1st, 2011
11:10 pm
Solid info! I wonder if this’ll show up on CoachWatcher. CW is the place to go for all the coaching info, news, and rumors. http://www.CoachWatcher.com
Pillowbiter
May 2nd, 2011
12:05 am
Big deal. He yelled at some Sodomites. Who cares?
Osama bin Laden
May 2nd, 2011
12:06 am
Sorry. I was too busy shagging a goat to hear the spec ops guys sneak up on me. HOOOOAHHHH!
Carson
May 2nd, 2011
8:53 am
I have heard fans CALL TERRIBLE THINGS TO PLAYERS. Our illusion of freedom should be remembered when responding.
TishTash
May 2nd, 2011
9:21 am
You know, the wonderfully tolerant comments on this board [/sarcasm] do nothing to convince me that the deep South is one step away from lynching anyone a shade darker than Adolph Hitler. Atlanta may like to fancy itself a sophisticated metropolis, but its region is still one racist and sexist hellhole.
Chuck M
May 2nd, 2011
10:50 am
“Brave Fan” If it was your Daughter that had to hear that garbage coming from the the mouth of that idiot Roger,you would want him fired.That is no way for a grown man to behave.
Chuck M
May 2nd, 2011
10:53 am
All fours a Duh,Chippers name is Larry.
bigdog
May 2nd, 2011
11:30 am
Let’s play smear the queer.
USMC DAWG
May 2nd, 2011
1:15 pm
If gays want to be treated equal and left alone, why do they whine and demand sooo much attention everytime someone farts in their direction?
unreligious
May 2nd, 2011
2:17 pm
Why are so many of the comments here bashing Gay people. Neither the three men who his comments were originally directed at, or the father were Gay. Why are so many people acting like it is all Gay peoples fault. Mr McDowell used a Gay slur to imply that the fans were Gay and somehow less of a man than he was. When another spectator complained about his language he then threatened him. Yet you have numerous comments on here blaming the whole situation on Gay people. Kind of shows just how homophobic some of you are. By-the-way all you defenders of freedom of speech. The constitution only protects speech from governmental interference. It has never protected it from interference from your corporate overlords. Nor does freedom of speech give you freedom from criticism of what you have said.
Belcher
May 2nd, 2011
4:31 pm
Enter your connemts here.
Billy Wingarden
May 4th, 2011
12:38 am
two years would be more like it. when you kick them in the financial balls their hearts and minds will follow.
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May 4th, 2011
10:41 am
[...] couple of weeks. He was an historical reference point for observers after Braves pitching coach Roger McDowell’s verbal altercation with fans in San Francisco, which allegedly included homophobic [...]