At least one prominent MLB pitcher wasn’t thrilled with the Tampa Bay Rays players’ decision not to wear rainbow-colored logos for the team’s “Pride Night” on Saturday.
Cardinals pitcher Jack Flaherty shared his thoughts on Twitter after Rays pitchers Jason Adam, Jalen Beeks, Brooks Raley, Jeffrey Springs and Ryan Thompson refused to wear the gay pride logo on their uniforms, saying that it was a “faith-based decision.”
“An absolute joke,” Flaherty tweeted.
Jalen Beeks in the usual Rays AP Jason Adam of the Tampa Bay Rays BayGetty Images
Adam, speaking on behalf of the group of five, tried to justify the decision by saying that “it comes down to a lot of faith,” in an interview with the Tampa Bay Times.
“It’s a difficult decision,” Adam said. “Because finally we all said that what we want is for them to know that everyone here is welcome and loved. But when we put it in our bodies, I think a lot of guys decided that it’s just a lifestyle that maybe — think differently — we may not want to encourage it if we believe in Jesus, who has encouraged us to live a lifestyle that refrains from such behavior. [Jesus] he encourages me as a heterosexual man to abstain from sex outside the confines of marriage. It’s no different.
“She is OK. Don’t look down. It is what we believe is the lifestyle that has encouraged us to live, for our own good, not to retain. But again, we love these men and women, we care about them, and we want them to feel safe and welcome here. “
Flaherty, however, was not buying it.
Kevin Kiermaier, a veteran Rays gardener who wore the patch, told the Times he wanted to foster a culture of inclusion at the team’s stadium.
Drew Rasmussen with the Pride logo on his RaysGetty Images hat The St. Paul Cardinals starting pitcher Louis Jack FlahertyGetty Images A Detail of the Tampa Bay Rays Pride Burst Logo Celebrating Pride MonthGetty Images
“My parents taught me to love everyone as they are, go live your life, whatever your preferences, be you,” Kiermaier said. “I can’t speak on behalf of everyone here, obviously, but this is a family environment here on a big league ball court … We just want everyone to feel welcome and included and cheer us on. No matter what be your opinions on anything “.