Red Sox's Julio Daniel Martinez
Boston Red Sox outfielder J.D. Martinez appeared to defend a controversial Instagram post from 2013 on Tuesday.
At the time, Martinez had shared a photo of Adolf Hitler with a fake quote attributed to the German dictator that read: “To conquer a nation, first disarm its citizens.”
Kate Feldman of the New York Daily News shared a screenshot of the 31-year-old designated hitter’s post:
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“This is why I will always stay strapped! #thetruth” Martinez captioned the post.
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“I posted it,” Martinez admitted Tuesday, according to USA Today. “I love my country. I love this country. I stand by the Constitution and I stand by the Second Amendment and it’s something that I take pride in. It’s something that I’ll back up. At the time I posted that, the Second Amendment at the time was definitely a hot topic. The point of it wasn’t to offend anybody.”
“I’m here to play baseball guys, I’m not a politician,” the outfielder added. “I’m here to help us win.” Martinez also called his post “a distraction.”
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Martinez signed a five-year, $110 million deal with the Red Sox in February. The right fielder is one of several MLB stars in recent weeks to face backlash over old, insensitive social media posts. Milwaukee Brewers reliever Josh Hader, New York Yankees pitcher Sonny Gray and Washington Nationals shortstop Trea Turner all apologized after racist tweets they posted several years prior resurfaced.
The Red Sox (92-42) continue to comfortably hold the best record in the majors, and are coming off two straight wins over the Miami Marlins. Boston next visits the Chicago White Sox on Thursday night for the opener of a four-game series.
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