Kepler Apologizes for wearing mask

Seth Stohs · May 30, 2020

Yahoo: https://sports.yahoo.com/twins-outfielder-max-kepler-apologizes-for-controversial-photo-amid-george-floyd-protests-230841299.html

Max Kepler apologized for posting a photo of himself wearing a Blue Lives Matter mask. In his apology, he said,

Earlier, I posted a photo of me in a mask that was sent to me by a company, to wear during the pandemic. I had no idea that the mask had any underlying inferences — I simply thought it looked good. After I was informed, I immediately took down the post,” Kepler wrote.
“I take complete responsibility for not knowing what I was wearing. I am truly sorry for the hurt and pain my actions have caused, especially now. Racism has no place in our world and I do not in any way support the actions that we all witnessed that led to George Floyd’s passing. My sympathies are with the Floyd family.

To be completely fair to Kepler, I wouldn't have known what the blue line meant. Knowing Kepler, I fully believe that he didn't know what the mask meant and certainly wouldn't have posted a photo with it if he did.

Not really Twins news at this point, but I just don't want to hide from posting topics just because they aren't positive, or in this case aren't really even baseball related. It's obviously just really unfortunate timing with the events in Minneapolis this week.

gunnarthor · May 30, 2020

I really want to believe Kepler wasn't trying to be a dick. He said police colors in Germany are green. And he probably gets free stuff sent to him fairly often. So it's possible that he didn't realize it had a racist sub-text to it.

I just don't believe him. Darn it.

h2oface · May 30, 2020

I really want to believe Kepler wasn't trying to be a dick. He said police colors in Germany are green. And he probably gets free stuff sent to him fairly often. So it's possible that he didn't realize it had a racist sub-text to it.

I just don't believe him. Darn it.

I didn't know what it meant, until I read this, and I pay attention. I believe him.

Nine of twelve · May 31, 2020

I really want to believe Kepler wasn't trying to be a dick. He said police colors in Germany are green. And he probably gets free stuff sent to him fairly often. So it's possible that he didn't realize it had a racist sub-text to it.

I just don't believe him. Darn it.

I guess I'm not a suspicious person so I believe that his explanation and apology are sincere. Why would he post such a strongly-worded apology if he truly had racist beliefs?

DocBauer · May 31, 2020

I am going to attempt to state my thoughts and options here very carefully. The fact that I even have to be careful is reprehensible to me on so many levels!

First, I heard about this when my daughter told me about it the next day. My kids were raised right, without prejudice of any sort! She watched the video, I still have not and don't need to, and she told me about it with tears in her eyes. That's why I have read about what happened, but didn't watch. I don't need to. It's horrible what happened, despite any circumstance that began anything.

Second, Max being targeted for ANYTHING is atrocious! Since he signed with the Twins has this kid done or said ANYTHING that is even remotely upsetting or controversial in ANY WAY? He has been nothing but hard working and class since day one!

Third, whatever you or anyone wants to take from Germany green to American blue in regard to police and the mask Max was asked to where is not pertinent to ANY REAL discussion. And ANYONE on ANY media site to poster boy Max is grossly unfair no matter what.

The "blue line", leaving Kepler out of the arguement, as he should be, is about the police in this country and for what they do on a daily basis. 50 states and over 300 million people, means you will, unfortunately, have a collection of reprehensible scum who hold that badge. And EVERY law enforcement affiliate, be it Minneapolis or elsewhere, should be embarrassed and chagrined and take immediate action!

I have a friend who took the oath for 10yrs to protect and serve, even if it was in mid America and small towns. And despite being a friend of over 40yrs, to this day, there are things he won't tell me about that he has seen.

To dismiss what that blue line means is every bit as reprehensible as what the officer at the scene did. He is the agtonoist for everything the badge and the blue line stands for.

Since 9-11, and everything that has transpired in our world since then, we have raised praised, deservedly so, for those who protect and serve. And the men and women who do so should continue to be praised. To blast a quality kid who was asked to wear a mask supporting the men and women who are quality across this country daily is ridiculous, unnecessary and ad reprehensible as the idiots who violate their authority.

diehardtwinsfan · May 31, 2020

I would give Kepler the benefit of the doubt for now. I'm not sure there's much else we can do as a society.. I'm personally not comfortable with the idea that people have to be permanently held accountable for their mistakes.

His original post was incredibly tone deaf given the situation even if all he was doing was trying to call attention to lives of his friends on the PD. But let's not forget, he's 27... I don't know about you all, but I said plenty of stupid things at that age. Personally, I'm glad to see him owning up to it and making a public apology. That says a lot about his character too.

TopGunn#22 · May 31, 2020

Doc Bauer said it best. Does anyone REALLY believe Max Kepler is a racist ?? If you do, you're actively hunting for reasons to be "aggrieved." What happened to George Floyd should never happen to anybody, we all need to pray for him and his family and friends. But the fact of the matter is that ALL LIVES MATTER. Anything other than ALL LIVES MATTER just falls short of what we ALL should strive for. Here's another thought: Do you think the local people of this Minneapolis community are the ones rioting, burning and looting? Some probably are, but the vast majority of those who are doing this are people from out of state. They are ANTIFA professional agitators who zoom from hot spot to hot spot trying to foment unrest. LOCAL people don't burn their Target store to the ground. Those LOCAL people don't burn black owned businesses to the ground. Those LOCAL people know that destroying their neighborhood is NOT going to solve the problem at hand. I'll conclude by repeating. Max Kepler is NOT a racist.

Richie the Rally Goat · May 31, 2020

Moderator note:

A reminder to keep the topic to Kepler in this thread, we have a broader topic in the sports bar to discus the tragic events in Minneapolis and now across the United States http://twinsdaily.com/topic/37549-grief-and-pain-in-our-community/

akmanak · May 31, 2020

Being naive doesn’t take away from what he has done. He is a sports figure that should know that many people are looking at him and he has to set an example. Do we say the same thing about when someone is busted for roids and they simply say they didn’t know what they were putting in their body’s?

I don’t buy his apology and frankly he should be gone .

rdehring · May 31, 2020

I will support Max on this issue.

A good friend of my wife and I made a lot of masks. I was very appreciative as I didn't know where the heck I could get one and really wanted to have one to go to the only place we go...Cub for groceries. She thought it would be nice to make one for me that is white with tiny blue stripes, thinking of what a typical baseball pinstripe uniform looks like. That's what I have been using and I like it. Is that similar to what Max was wearing? Am I wrong for using it? If I am, I had no clue and suspect Max was in a similar situation. Personally, I don't think that Max has any need to apologize.

For all of you fellow Minnesotan's who are not originally from Wisconsin, she also made several masks for our family that are Badger's on one side and Packers on the flip side. Delivered those a couple days ago, but I haven't had the guts to wear either of those to Cub.

jjswol · May 31, 2020

I believe Kepler, the man doesn't have a racist bone in his body. Simple as that, nothing else needs to be said.

jimbo92107 · May 31, 2020

My impression since I first heard of Max Kepler the promising prospect from Germany was that he was very intelligent, very focused, and very earnest about becoming a great baseball player in America. He did a great job learning American English, and he was so coachable that now he's an excellent professional ballplayer.

That said, Kepler is kind of an innocent when it comes to social issues. I think he was duped into wearing that mask. Kind of like if somebody says, "wear a red shirt when you walk through this neighborhood," and they don't tell you why, or why not. If you're from a foreign country, you may have no notion about gang signs in America. If you're a trusting soul like Kepler, he'll shake your hand and wear your hat, or your mask.

Until now. Rough lesson for Max Kepler. I give him the benefit of the doubt on this one, trusting that he will now learn that there are some social booby traps he must recognize and avoid. I'm sure he knows about swastikas and rebel flags. I don't think he knew about the "blue line."

It takes a long time to get as socially mature as the rest of us at Twins Daily.

Kelly Vance · May 31, 2020

Max has nothing to apologize for. Nothing.

I reject the false narrative -- the notion that supporting law enforcement makes you racist. What a crock. There are many black policemen and women. I support them too. So many people just want to seem fashionably woke. I say that is a different kind of ignorance.Herd mentality.

.

Police officers go to work every day knowing that they may not come home. In a sense, they stand in my Marine Corps yellow footprints. You just don't know what can happen when you step up, but you stepped up, and now you are in God's hands. That is the deal.

Police officers that go bad are few, and fewer than people in other occupations. I encounter many crooked lawyers. I encounter many crooked insurance adjusters. I have encountered only a couple bad police officers. In fact, I have encountered more crooked judges then crooked cops.

I see paid demonstrators and Antifa setting fire to police cars. I see thugs burning down businesses in the name of protest. Those business owners are sometimes black people. This is criminal activity masquerading as protest. I support the police and I support peaceful protest. What you are seeing out there today is anarchy. by a bunch of criminal opportunists.

I stand with the blues and I am not a bit ashamed of it. As for Chauvin, the charge should be Second Degree murder, not 3rd. He knew what he was doing. He did what he did in a cool and calculated manner What they are charging him with equates to criminally negligent homicide. It was way more than that.

But I think the bigger issue is why was this creep Chauvin even on the force? Didn't he have like 18 complaints against him? I think the mayor and police chief need to answer that question. Soon.

chinmusic · May 31, 2020

It's not possible to look at the persona that is Max Kepler, from the point of view of a fan who's never even met him, and make any statement regarding the mask. So I'll just focus on Kepler, the baseball player, who is pretty good, (just ask Trevor Bauer) and leave it at that.

akmanak · May 31, 2020

Max has nothing to apologize for. Nothing.

I reject the false narrative -- the notion that supporting law enforcement makes you racist. What a crock. There are many black policemen and women. I support them too. So many people just want to seem fashionably woke. I say that is a different kind of ignorance.Herd mentality.
.
Police officers go to work every day knowing that they may not come home. In a sense, they stand in my Marine Corps yellow footprints. You just don't know what can happen when you step up, but you stepped up, and now you are in God's hands. That is the deal.

Police officers that go bad are few, and fewer than people in other occupations. I encounter many crooked lawyers. I encounter many crooked insurance adjusters. I have encountered only a couple bad police officers. In fact, I have encountered more crooked judges then crooked cops.

I see paid demonstrators and Antifa setting fire to police cars. I see thugs burning down businesses in the name of protest. Those business owners are sometimes black people. This is criminal activity masquerading as protest. I support the police and I support peaceful protest. What you are seeing out there today is anarchy. by a bunch of criminal opportunists.

I stand with the blues and I am not a bit ashamed of it. As for Chauvin, the charge should be Second Degree murder, not 3rd. He knew what he was doing. He did what he did in a cool and calculated manner What they are charging him with equates to criminally negligent homicide. It was way more than that.

But I think the bigger issue is why was this creep Chauvin even on the force? Didn't he have like 18 complaints against him? I think the mayor and police chief need to answer that question. Soon.

86% of the arrests are from Minnesota.

Dantes929 · May 31, 2020

I don't get it. Someone fill me in. I consider myself slightly left of center and when someone says bad or clueless stuff about BLM I clue them in. When NFL players take a knee and are demonized I defend them as exercising an important right which is represented by the flag for which so many have given so much. I ask them to consider the protest rather than hurt feelings for the way it is conducted. I have spoken out when people have painted the entire Mpls community with the rioting, looting brush. I definitely think police have a higher standard of conduct and that they should be prosecuted for wrong doing.........

I have also posted the blue line banner when a police officer in my town was killed in the line of duty. It was acknowledgement of the sacrifices they make in a very tough job. When did the blue line become the banner for racism and corruption? Can I not support the police for putting their lives on the line and doing a tough job while also supporting change in the way they do it? When did it become either/ or. There are black police officers and good white police officers. Can't the blue line show support for them. Is there no middle ground any more? Are we just anti police now? Again,did I missed the memo or the movie or the book because when I saw the headline for this post I just went "huh?". When I saw people wanting Keppler gone for it I really want to know what I am missing. Confederate flag or KKK? No room for interpretation. Thin blue line? Yeah, I think there is.

Kelly Vance · May 31, 2020

86% of the arrests are from Minnesota.

So are you saying Minnesotans cannot be criminal opportunists? Antifa is in every state now

AZTwin · May 31, 2020

Should never apologized. Have seen too many terrorists say that “all cops should be killed” and we should celebrate when they are supported as well. After all 99.9% of them protect our most vulnerable

Squirrel · May 31, 2020

MODERATOR NOTE: If you all can't keep your comments contained to Kepler, instead of broader issues of the day, don't post. And don't make your comments personal toward others.

diehardtwinsfan · May 31, 2020

Being naive doesn’t take away from what he has done. He is a sports figure that should know that many people are looking at him and he has to set an example. Do we say the same thing about when someone is busted for roids and they simply say they didn’t know what they were putting in their body’s?

I don’t buy his apology and frankly he should be gone .

Have you ever made a mistake? Just asking. There's a proverb or two out there about people in glass houses throwing stones... or perhaps the words of Jesus regarding people without sin casting the first stone. My point is that we all make mistakes. Good Lord I know I'd love to take back a statement or a hundred when I was that age. I'm quite glad that social media wasn't where it is now back then as some of that would be memorialized forever.

I think to that extent you need to know what Kepler was thinking. Maybe he has a lot of friends that are cops and was trying to support them... who knows. I don't think that simply saying blue lives matter too is a crime. It shouldn't be at least... It's certainly tone deaf given the situation... but Kepler pulled it away and issued an apology... so I have to ask, what exactly should he be doing in this situation to "earn" forgiveness?

diehardtwinsfan · May 31, 2020

Should never apologized. Have seen too many terrorists say that “all cops should be killed” and we should celebrate when they are supported as well. After all 99.9% of them protect our most vulnerable

Let's not lump the extremes into the moderates please. The extremes may be loud, but I suspect the vast majority of people in this country aren't saying "all cops should be killed" just as at the vast majority of people in this country aren't looking to re-institute Jim Crow. Most of us are upset about the circumstances (and we should be) even if we disagree on how to move forward.

drivlikejehu · June 1, 2020

So somehow four of the .1% of the bad cops participated in the murder of George Floyd? Those odds are unfathomable.

Surely there are good cops, but to pretend almost all of them are good is the biggest problem. We can’t pretend that the Alpha males who want to be cops simply to carry a gun and assert their authority and the followers who worship this display of aggressiveness but are too cowardly to tell these guys to not murder someone, aren’t riddled throughout our nation’s police forces.

Unfortunately it is not a high paying job, it is going to attract lots of people who want to do it for the wrong reasons.

Unfortunately there are a lot of bad people out there, which is why a significant number of police are needed in the first place. Police victimize *many* fewer people than non-police criminals do, by a factor of hundreds of thousands. Police misconduct is a legitimate issue, but it is infinitesimal compared to the suffering caused by all other crime . . . it's sad that 99.999999% of victims are treated like they don't matter, since the perp wasn't a cop.

Squirrel · June 1, 2020

If you want to discuss the broader issues surrounding the Kepler incident, there is an ongoing thread in the Sports Bar; follow this link: http://twinsdaily.com/topic/37549-grief-and-pain-in-our-community/

Please keep this thread to Kepler. Further posts not speaking directly and specifically about Kepler and his actions will be removed. This doesn't mean invoking his name while posting about other broad issues. We want to keep dialog open surrounding these difficult issues we are all facing, so please go to the Sports Bar to discuss them.

Thank you.

Squirrel · June 2, 2020

There are two other threads on this subject, so, in order to consolidate, this one is now closed to further comment. Please continue in one of these two threads ...

http://twinsdaily.com/topic/37574-max-kepler-and-the-cost-of-silence/

http://twinsdaily.com/topic/37549-grief-and-pain-in-our-community/