Royals’ GM discussed negative effects of pornography. An adult film star fired back

Royals general manager Dayton Moore, one of the most straight-laced and respected executives in baseball, found himself in a rare position on Wednesday: Taking criticism from an adult film star.

In an interview with TMZ.com, actress Kendra Lust, whose given name is Michele Anne Mason, disagreed with Moore’s recent critique of pornography, which came Tuesday during a news conference to address pitcher Danny Duffy’s DUI citation.

Moore, while answering a question about the Royals’ educational initiatives in light of the death of pitcher Yordano Ventura in a car crash, said the club also teaches its players about the negative effects of pornography.

“We talk about pornography,” Moore said, “and the effects of what that does to the minds of players and the distractions, and how that leads to abuse of — domestic abuse — to abuse of women.”

Lust said the viewpoint represented a “cop-out” and said she wanted to see “substantiated evidence or legitimate studies on that.”

“I completely disagree,” she said. “That’s like saying violent movies leads to violence.”

The effects of pornography in the digital age has been the subject of increasing academic study in recent years. Moore grouped the issue with alcohol abuse and drinking and driving when discussing problems that can afflict ballplayers. Lust, who reportedly entered the industry in 2012, offered a strong rebuttal.

“In all honesty, I think that porn helps keep people’s relationships healthy,” she said. “It helps keep them safe from maybe going out and being unfaithful to their spouse, and for me personally, it’s helped my life a lot.”

This story was originally published August 30, 2017 at 7:14 PM with the headline "Royals’ GM discussed negative effects of pornography. An adult film star fired back."