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Kevin Pillar donates to LGBTQ groups after suspension for anti-gay slur
Kevin Pillar is out of firestorm these days. Sports controversies come and go, that’s the nature of these things.
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Just a couple weeks ago, though, he was the controversy of the week. Pillar yelled an anti-gay slur at Atlanta Braves reliever Jason Motte. Baseball fans noticed. He got a ton of flak on social media. His team, the Toronto Blue Jays, apologized and suspended Pillar for two games.
When Pillar apologized the next day, he said, “This is not who I am and will use this as an opportunity to better myself.” A few weeks later, we can’t say for sure whether Pillar has better himself, but he has taken at least one step in the right direction.
Pillar announced that he’s donating the salary he forfeited during his suspension to two LGBTQ charities: PFLAG and You Can Play’s Toronto branch.
Said Pillar: “It’s not lip service. It’s easy to come out and make your apologies and hope people forget but I meant what I said when I said hopefully I’ll be made an example of.”
Here’s more from Shi Davidi of SportsNet:
PFLAG is an advocacy and support group for the LGBTQ community, and will also conduct sensitivity training sessions for Pillar. You Can Play seeks to make sports safe and open for athletes regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity, and their work really appealed to Pillar.
“I’ve seen the impact of a similar organization in Challenger Baseball for people with disabilities and the impact baseball can have on them,” said Pillar. “Hopefully my contributions will help this organization with kids in all walks of life (so they can) feel like they’re included to play.”
Pillar is making $555,000 this year from the Blue Jays, which comes out to about $3,426 per game.
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Mike Oz is the editor of Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at mikeozstew@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @MikeOz
