The person in charge of the Miami Marlins’ official Twitter account made a regrettable attempt at humor during a friendly back-and-forth with the Tampa Bay Rays over the weekend, and the team has apologized for the remark.
The Marlins and Rays traded shots on Twitter after Miami swept its in-state “rival,” and the war of words ended with a joke about Steve Irwin that was in very poor taste.
yOU'RE LITERALLY THE ANIMAL THAT KILLED STEVE IRWIN LOG OFF
— Miami Marlins (@Marlins) August 4, 2019
On Monday, the Marlins tweeted an apology.
Hi, guys. Like everyone who grew up watching him, we miss Steve. We’re so sorry to have made light of his passing.
— Miami Marlins (@Marlins) August 5, 2019
A team spokesperson also called the tweet “regrettable” and said the matter has been handled internally.
JUST IN: Marlins statement.
“This was a regrettable exchange by our otherwise creative social media team. Unfortunately, in this medium, sometimes we swing and miss, and this was definitely a miss.”
Spokesman says “the matter has been addressed internally.” pic.twitter.com/W5mKgyUonI
— Andy Slater (@AndySlater) August 5, 2019
The entire exchange may have seemed humorous at first, but joking about a death is always a bad look. In fact, the Rays’ mascot got involved in a similar controversy six years ago.
