Yahoo Sports Mariners GM Jerry Dipoto says accusations of racism by Dr. Lorena Martin are 'untrue'
Seattle Mariners general manager Jerry Dipoto addressed the racism and sexism claims levied against him and others in the organization for the first time publicly Thursday. Dipoto said those claims — made by former Mariners high performance director Dr. Lorena Martin — are “untrue,” according to Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times.
Dipoto said he takes full responsibility for hiring Martin and the fallout that came with her firing, but denied her accusations, according to the Seattle Times.
“At the end of the day, my belief is that justice will prevail. There is an ongoing investigation that I’m not going to get into. I’ve been at this now for 30 years. I know a lot of people in this game. I’m not sexist, nor am I a racist. The accusations that have been made are untrue. I believe that will wash out as this unfolds. But I can only speak for myself. The responsibility for the development of the program and hiring Dr. Martin to come here was on me and I take full responsibility for it. I’m embarrassed at how this has unfolded.”
Martin was fired just one year into a three-year contract with the team. Following her firing, Martin accused Dipoto, manager Scott Servais and farm director Adam McKay of making racist comments. Martin said those men called “Latinos lazy, dumb and stupid, especially the Dominicans.” Martin also said Dipoto called her a “cocky Latina” during a meeting. She reportedly took these complaints to the team’s human resources department.
The Mariners stood by Dipoto, Servais and McKay, issuing a statement saying an internal investigation turned up no evidence Martin’s claims were true. The team also released a statement on Twitter calling Martin’s accusations “outrageous” and “false.”
Dipoto was not the only person to deny Martin’s allegations Thursday. McKay also addressed Martin’s claims, saying they were “false and never happened.”
Major League Baseball is currently investigating the matter.
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