Umpire Rob Drake Apologizes for Tweet Stating Desire to Buy AR-15 Amid Trump Impeachment Controversy
By Jerry Trotta
It's been roughly 24 hours since Major League Baseball obtained a copy of an alarmingly violent and since-deleted tweet unleashed by veteran umpire Rob Drake on Wednesday.
Following the House of Representatives impeachment talk concerning President Donald Trump, Drake tweeted a threat to purchase an AR-15 rifle because "if you impeach MY PRESIDENT this way, YOU WILL HAVE ANOTHER CIVAL WAR!!! #MAGA2020," he wrote.
The league has since launched an investigation into the post, and while that is still in its inception, Drake wrote a lengthy apology to ESPN on Thursday night.
Umpire Rob Drake, whose viral tweet yesterday about buying a gun for a coming civil war led to an investigation by Major League Baseball that remains ongoing, sent along a statement to ESPN apologizing for the tweet. The full statement: pic.twitter.com/jPYX8ZHpzO
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) October 25, 2019
That seems like as sincere as an apology can be, but like Drake says, it can't undo the massive negative impact that his words had as they went viral shortly after Jeff Passan's shocking report.
We thoroughly refrain from getting political, but to tweet something as barbaric as what he did amid the United States' gun control controversy and all of the sensitive dynamics surrounding it will likely cost him.
Major league umpire Rob Drake tweeted “I will be buying an AR-15 tomorrow, because if you impeach MY PRESIDENT this way, YOU WILL HAVE ANOTHER CIVAL WAR!!! #MAGA2020”, according to a copy of the tweet obtained by ESPN. MLB says it is aware of it. News: https://t.co/Qf7VMAXEoJ
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) October 23, 2019
It's imperative to note that we don't at all stand for his post, and an apology likely won't help his current image in the public eye, but he certainly did right by his apparent remorse.
In the meantime, stay tuned for updates as it pertains to MLB's investigation into Drake's future in the league.