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[이데일리 스타in 이석무 기자] Chief Executive Officer Kevin Mather (CEO) of the Seattle Mariners in the American Professional Baseball Major League Baseball resigned after it was revealed that he had degraded and ridiculed his players from behind.
In an official statement on the 23rd (Korean time), the owner of the Seattle club, John Stanton, announced that “Mother’s CEO has stepped down.”
According to the US sports media ESPN, CEO Mather exposed the club’s internal situation and slandered the players at a breakfast meeting earlier this month. This scene was released on YouTube by a Mariners fan.
The remarks made by Mr. Mather also included a reference to the English proficiency of a non-US player. He said of Japanese pitcher Hasashi Iwakuma who played for Seattle, “Iwakuma is a good man, but his English skills are poor.” He told Iwakuma,’I’m tired of paying $75,000 a year for interpretation.’ He said that suddenly his English skills improved. He also pointed out that “his English isn’t great” about outfielder Julio Rodriguez, from the Dominican Republic, who is a prospect on the team.
“I had a great experience,” said Mather, when his remarks were criticized. “I am sorry for taking responsibility for my actions and talking about inappropriate things at work.” Nevertheless, as the controversy did not subside, he eventually resigned on this day. Prior to this, the Major League Players’ Union said in a statement on the 22nd that it was “a video showing not only mistakes but also the unfiltered gaze of the clubs” and “It is not surprising that fans and other officials who will visit the stadium are also unpleasant.”
After joining the Seattle club in 1996, Mather was promoted to Seattle CEO in November 2017 after holding various positions within the club. The owner of Stanton has announced that he will serve as the club president and CEO until a successor of CEO Mather is hired.