Several old tweets sent by Josh Hader began circulating during the All-Star Game on Tuesday night, causing a ripple effect.
The Milwaukee Brewers reliever has his Twitter account set to private, but nevertheless, some tweets he had sent gained attention. The tweets were from 2011-2012 and contained content offensive to many. One tweet said “I hate gay people.” Another said, “I need a b—- that can f—, cook, clean right.” Another included the N-word.
With the exception of the gay tweet, all the other tweets were examples of him quoting rap song lyrics. The lyrics come from songs by Juicy Jay and Tyga. That makes it different from him actually saying those things, though most won’t see it that way.
The tweets circulating during the game led many to begin distancing themselves from him.
Josh Hader’s family and friends are milling outside the NL clubhouse, having taken off or reversed jerseys with “Hader” across the back.
— Adam Kilgore (@AdamKilgoreWP) July 18, 2018
Some members of Josh Hader’s family, wearing his All-Star replica jersey, have taken them off and been given generic jerseys without his name on the back.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) July 18, 2018
One person wearing a Josh Hader shirsey just took it off, turned it inside out and put it back on.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) July 18, 2018
People should examine the context and understand that quoting lyrics is different from personally saying something. Of course, simply tweeting rap lyrics with questionable content isn’t a very smart idea anyway, which is a lesson Hader is now learning.
Before he was known for his spectacular season in Milwaukee’s pen. Now he’s becoming known for another reason, just like another athlete we saw on the big stage recently.
Hader has since apologized and said he is ready to face the consequences.
