33ft/iStockBy JEANETTE TORRES-PEREZ, ABC News
(SEATTLE) — Kevin Mather, the president and CEO of the Seattle Mariners, stepped down Monday following comments he made earlier this month that were released online this past weekend.
In a statement Monday, Mariners chairman and managing partner John Stanton said Mather “has resigned his position effective immediately.”
Over the weekend, Mather’s comments to a local rotary club surfaced on YouTube. In the clip, which has since been taken down, Mather makes remarks about the team’s international players and discusses sensitive topics about the organization.
The MLB released a statement condemning Mather’s “offensive and disrespectful comments about several players.”
“We are proud of the international players who have made baseball better through their outstanding examples of courage and determination, and our global game is far better because of their contributions. His misguided remarks do not represent the values of our game and have no place in our sport,” the league said.
Stanton also noted he was “extremely disappointed” after hearing about Mather’s comments.
“His comments were inappropriate and do not represent our organization’s feelings about our players, staff, and fans,” Stanton said in his statement. “There is no excuse for what was said, and I won’t try to make one. I offer my sincere apology on behalf of the club and my partners to our players and fans. We must be, and do, better.”
— Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) February 22, 2021
Until Mather’s successor is chosen, Stanton will step in and serve as the acting president and CEO.
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