Josh Donaldson Says It Was 'Tough' Hearing Yankees' Criticism of 'Jackie' Comment to Tim Anderson
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New York Yankees player Josh Donaldson responded to criticism he's received from teammates after it was revealed he made controversial comments toward Chicago White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson.
Donaldson, 36, was suspended for one game last month for previously making "inappropriate comments" toward White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson.
Players from both the White Sox and Yankees said that Donaldson called Anderson "Jackie" several times during a recent game. The "Jackie" comment was reportedly in reference to the late Jackie Robinson, the Black baseball player who famously broke the MLB's color barrier. Anderson is also Black.
Since then, Donaldson's teammates have criticized him for the remarks, including Yankees star Aaron Judge.
"Joke or not, I don't think it's the right thing to do there," Judge said in a post-game interview with SNY on May 23.
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Before the Yankees' game against the Los Angeles Angels on Wednesday, Donaldson said it was difficult to hear the response from his teammates.
"I think that was tough to hear, for sure, just for the simple fact that I pride myself on being a good teammate, and everywhere I've went, every organization that I've been a part of, minus Oakland, has offered me extensions, has wanted me to stay back," he said, according to the Associated Press.
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"They've showed that they wanted me a part of their team," he continued. "Obviously it didn't work out that way. And that's just the business end of it. And also everywhere I went, I've won. I think part of winning is having good team chemistry, and I've taken pride everywhere I've went I've always tried to help people try to get better."
Following the incident, Donaldson admitted to making the "Jackie" comments but said he didn't mean for them to be racist. Instead, he believed it was an inside joke stemming from Anderson's May 2019 interview with Sports Illustrated in which he said, "I kind of feel like today's Jackie Robinson."
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"I called him Jackie. In 2019, he came out with an interview and said that he's the new Jackie Robinson … We've actually joked about that. I've said it to him in years past, not in any manner than just joking around," Donaldson said.
"My meaning of that is not any term trying to be racist by any fact of the matter. It was just off of an interview of what he called himself," he added. "Obviously he deemed that it was disrespectful and look if he did, I apologize. That's not what I was trying to do by any manner and that's what happened."
