Major League Baseball umpire Rob Drake has apologized for a tweet saying he intended to buy an assault rifle and declare a civil war if his president, Donald Trump, is impeached.
The Twitter account was switched to private mode Wednesday night. The tweet, now deleted, said, “I will be buying an AR-15 tomorrow, because if you impeach MY PRESIDENT this way, YOU WILL HAVE ANOTHER CIVAL WAR!!! #MAGA2020.”
Major League Baseball said it became aware of the tweet on Wednesday and is investigating the matter, USA Today reported.
Now Drake has apologized, according to ESPN. “I personally want to apologize to everyone that my words made feel less safe,” Drake tweeted.
“I especially want to apologize to every person who has been affected by gun violence in our country,” Drake said. “I also acknowledge and apologize for the controversy this has brought to Major League Baseball, my fellow umpires and my family.
I’m going to learn from this,” Drake added. “Once I read what I had tweeted I realized the violence in those words and have since deleted it.”
Some Twitter users said the apology rang hollow and the umpire should be fired for advocating for armed insurrection. Others said they feel less than safe.
“I hope all the stadiums make the umps go through the metal detectors,” one person tweeted.
The Major League Baseball Umpires Association said Wednesday that Drake chose the “wrong way” to express his opinion but it was otherwise supportive of Drake and all umpires.
“Rob is a passionate individual and an outstanding umpire. He chose the wrong way to convey his opinion about our great country,” the umpires’ association said. “His posting does not represent the view of the MLBUA or reflect those of the umpires we represent.
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“The MLBUA supports all of the umpires who ensure fair play in the greatest game on earth. We are a group of individuals with diverse opinions and beliefs, united in our desire to continue our excellence officiating MLB games.”
Drake, 50, has been working for Major League Baseball since 1999 and has been full-time since 2010.
Before Drake’s Twitter account went private, USA Today saw these other tweets from his account railing against Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.
