Jarren Duran's homophobic slur prompts Red Sox to apologize once again to LGBTQ+ community

“I know I shouldn’t have said that word. I know I’m going to be looked down upon for saying it, and it’s my fault because I brought it on myself,” the 27-year-old said. “There was no intention behind the word that was used. It was just the heat of the moment and it was said by chance. It’s my fault that word was said.”

Although Duran’s tone and words conveyed contrition, some may see his clothing style as undermining his message. Duran wore a T-shirt with a crude message, “(Expletive) ’em,” in front of the cameras.

Duran regularly wears the shirt to demonstrate his indifference to mental health issues and self-esteem issues. Yet for audience members who were unfamiliar with the slogan’s deeply personal meaning or Duran’s own but were attentive to how he would handle the controversy, a glimpse of the shirt introduced the possibility of unnecessary confusion into an otherwise unconditional apology.

“If there’s a bad word on a jersey … I don’t think it’s appropriate at this particular time,” Sox president and general manager Sam Kennedy said.

As an organization, the Sox want to be a symbol of inclusion. The team was one of the first in Major League Baseball to introduce a Pride Night to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community in 2013 and has tried to forge a commitment that goes beyond a marketable event.

Yet in consecutive years, the Sox have had to answer for the pain their players have caused this group. In 2023, the Sox promoted pitcher Matt Dermody to the major leagues despite multiple homophobic social media posts. Dermody was later released. And on Monday, the organization had to apologize once again for one of its players.

“We’ve worked very hard over the last two and a half decades to make Fenway Park a place where everyone feels welcome,” Kennedy said. “There’s a lot of incredible work being done, a lot of positive momentum. But a day like today reminds us that we still have a lot of work to do.”

“It feels like a huge setback to the organizational values that we try to live by every day. When something like this happens, you’ve failed to achieve that goal. And you also wonder how this could have happened. How could this have happened? We’ve had a lot of conversations about who we are, what we stand for, what we value.”

Duran regretted that his remarks could be perceived as an affront to the principle of inclusion.

“I don’t think my actions should represent what the team and MLB stand for. It was just a bad moment on my part, and I own that and apologize for it,” Duran said. “I had no intention of harming anyone or any organization in any way. It was just a stupid mistake on my part that I’m going to learn from.”

Duran and members of the Red Sox suggested that accountability in the form of a suspension and apology was a necessary but insufficient first step that must be followed by education and a sincere, empathetic engagement with the LGBTQ+ community.

“One mistake from the kid doesn’t show who we are or who he is. It was obviously a bad moment. He learned from it. We’re learning from it and we’re going to get better not only as individuals but as an organization,” Sox manager Alex Cora said. “It’s hard to say we have to move forward. We’re not moving forward. We have to work. There’s a lot of work to do — not just for Jarren as an individual, but for us as a group. We’ll do it.”

On Monday, Duran — who had played in the Red Sox’s first 116 games of the season — acknowledged that his work on the field and continuing his streak was less meaningful than what he needed to do to try to lessen the harm he had caused.

“(Not playing) is not the most important thing right now,” Duran said. “Trying to get better and learn from my mistakes, that’s the most important thing right now.”

You can contact Alex Speier at [email protected]. Follow him @alexspeier.