Diamondbacks color commentator Bob Brenly has come under fire for comments made about Marcus Stroman’s du-rag during his start Tuesday night, which many (including Stroman) perceived as having “racial undertones.” The former MLB manager’s cringey attempt at humor did not go over well, prompting an apology from Brenly, who is taking a leave of absence from his duties at Bally Sports Arizona and plans to seek sensitivity training. D’Backs pitcher Jon Duplantier addressed the controversy in his post-game press conference Thursday night, reflecting on Brenly’s “disappointing” remarks and what it means to be a black player in today’s MLB.
“There has been a lot of pressure to show up authentically as myself while walking the tightrope of remaining acceptable and appealing to society and people who may be making important decisions regarding my future,” said Duplantier, who was charged with five earned runs in Thursday’s loss to Milwaukee. “There has been a ton of progress and work done so that Marcus and other guys that look like me can show up authentically as ourselves and be ourselves on a big stage. But comments like [those] set us back.”
Ignorant remarks like Brenly’s not only stunt the sport’s progress in baseball’s continued fight for racial equality, but Duplantier would argue they also discourage young black players from being themselves. “The youth, the future players that are watching Diamondbacks games, that are watching Mets games, that are watching MLB games in general, by hearing that comment, potentially look at baseball and think that they can’t be themselves. And that hurts,” said the 6’4” right-hander. “I want to be a dad someday, knowing that the work that is continuing to be done is so that my kids, my sons, my daughters, will grow up knowing that they can be authentically themselves.”
While Duplantier was appalled by what he said, the 26-year-old credits Brenly for owning up to his mistake and showing a genuine desire to change. “Continuing to listen to one another with an open ear, an open heart, is very important. I appreciate Bob’s willingness to go to the training and I hope that we see some changes.”
Despite its annual celebration of Dodgers legend Jackie Robinson, who broke baseball’s color barrier in 1947, MLB’s presence in the black community is still lacking relative to other major sports with African Americans accounting for only seven percent of the league’s total population, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.
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