ST. LOUIS (KMOX) - It appears St. Louis Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina fell victim to the common enemy of this digital world – it's hard to determine the tone of a text or social media post. He deleted a post on Instagram and has since re-posted the image but with a new caption to explain the original post.
The first post from Monday morning stated "F*** COVID" accompanied by the shoulder shrug emoji, with a photo of him and six other people with their arms around each other and no one wearing a face mask.
It was first edited, then soon deleted, but not before screenshots were shared on other social media platforms. So then the Cardinals clubhouse leader and face of the franchise decided to explain what he was trying to convey in that two-word caption.
He says it was a message of hope and desired to "beat this thing!" and not a statement of disregard for the disease that has killed more than 177,000 people in the U.S. alone. He also explained that all the people in the photo are either his "family" or they are people who are "tested routinely because they work directly at my house."
Here's Molina's full explanation:
"I wanted to make a few things clear with the picture I sent. I know COVID is a serious virus, trust me, I had it for a week myself! Many of the people in the picture are the same way and we got together to celebrate beating COVID. The other people in the picture are tested routinely because they work directly at my house or are part of my family! I understand how this looks from the outside, and even though I do this most of the time, I will make sure to be more careful to wear masks and socially distance in the future. And, my message under the picture was to show the world that we can beat this thing! I know this won't make everyone understand, but I hope it clears up some concerns people have.
'FCOVID'
Not because I don't care about the protocols, but because this won't beat us!"
I wanted to make a few things clear with the picture I sent. I know COVID is a serious virus, trust me, I had it for a week myself! Many of the people in the picture are the same way and we got together to celebrate beating COVID. The other people in the picture are tested routinely because they work directly at my house or are part of my family! I understand how this looks from the outside, and even though I do this most of the time, I will make sure to be more careful to wear masks and socially distance in the future. And, my message under the picture was to show the world that we can beat this thing! I know this won't make everyone understand, but I hope it clears up some concerns people have. “FCOVID” Not because I don't care about the protocols, but because this won't beat us!
A post shared by @ yadier_marciano_molina on Aug 24, 2020 at 11:00am PDT
Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak released a statement on Monday afternoon.
"Given our experience with the outbreak, we have to be extra vigilant as we fight the coronavirus with the three basic principles of social distancing, wearing a mask, and proper hygiene," Mozeliak's statement reads. "The Cardinals as an organization must emphasize this in any setting as we move forward. We will remind players and staff that these practices must be done at both home and on the road for us to be successful."
JUST IN:Following catcher Yadier Molina's Instagram post this morning related to COVID-19, #STLCards president of baseball operations John Mozeliak released this statement:Full story here: https://t.co/evvrWdA3fu pic.twitter.com/DRWOaOZtpe
— KMOX St. Louis News (@kmoxnews)
August 24, 2020 The Cardinals begin a three-game series at Busch Stadium against the Kansas City Royals on Monday.
It will be the fourth game back for Molina, who announced on Aug. 4 that he tested positive for COVID-19. He was one of more than a dozen Cardinals players and staff members to test positive after the shortened 2020 season began.
Molina is hitting .412 with five RBI in his return thus far and St. Louis is 3-1 in those games with him back in the lineup.
The Cardinals say some players had to make a visit to the ER due to the virus symptoms, but no cases appeared to be life-threatening. Molina, shortstop Paul DeJong, pitcher Carlos Martinez and many other who tested positive has since been cleared and have resumed workouts with the team and/or appeared in games.
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