A’s coach: ‘I absolutely apologize’ for Nazi salute after Oakland’s game
Major League Baseball team celebrations are anything but normal because of social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Some Oakland A’s apparently bump elbows, but coach Ryan Christenson did something quite different following the team’s 6-4 win over the Texas Rangers on Thursday.
Christenson extended his right arm away from his body in a gesture that resembled a Nazi salute. A’s pitcher Liam Hendriks quickly grabbed Christenson’s arm and bent it. The two then bumped forearms as Hendriks walked past.
But Christenson then turned back toward Hendriks and made the gesture again.
The moment was widely shared on social media:
In a statement to the Washington Post, Christenson acknowledged he was wrong to make the gesture.
“I made a mistake and will not deny it,” he said. “Today in the dugout I greeted players with a gesture that was offensive. In the world today of COVID, I adapted our elbow bump, which we do after wins, to create some distance with the players.
“My gesture unintentionally resulted in a racist and horrible salute that I do not believe in. What I did is unacceptable and I deeply apologize.”
In an interview with the San Francisco Chronicle, Christenson said Hendriks, the former Royals pitcher, alerted him to the gesture.
“He said, ‘No, no straight arm, don’t do that,’” Christenson said. “Obviously, I was not doing that intentionally. It was just unfortunate. I know my heart, obviously that was not my intention. I don’t know what more to say. I did it. It was unintentional. I’m sure it looks terrible.”
Christenson said he repeated the gesture because he was telling Hendriks he realized he was making a Nazi salute.
“I’m cringing in my mind because I know what I was doing,” Christenson told the Chronicle. “I absolutely apologize for everything.”
The A’s released a statement regarding Christenson’s actions.
“A’s bench coach Ryan Christenson greeted players with a gesture that looked like a Nazi salute,” the team said. “We do not support or condone this gesture or the racist sentiment behind it. This is incredibly offensive, especially in these times when we as a Club and so many others are working to expose and address racial inequities in our country. We are deeply sorry that this happened on our playing field.”
This story was originally published August 7, 2020 at 8:28 AM.
