Two days after former San Francisco Giants player Aubrey Huff tweeted his shock at protesters blocking airport operations over President Donald Trump’s immigration executive order, and one day after those posts disappeared from social media, Huff apologized for the way he ranted — but not for his political views.
On Monday, the day that the tweets were removed, Huff said in an interview with the Bay Area News Group, “I think in the case of last night, I used words that, in hindsight, I shouldn’t have. Honestly, with 10,000 followers, I didn’t think it would be that big a deal.”
In the Sunday evening Twitter rant, Huff told protesters “I mean seriously what the h**l is going on? If you have time 2 march, protest and riot. Maybe it’s time for something called a job!”
Protesters have blocked and hindered travel at multiple U.S. airports in response to the executive order that President Trump signed last week temporarily restricting travel from seven terror-prone countries. San Francisco was among the airports affected. Protesters at that airport halted traffic at times and interrupted airport operations for travelers.
Huff also tweeted Sunday, “So refreshing to see a president follow through with his campaign promises. God bless the future of this great country and keep it safe!”
By mid-morning on Monday, Huff’s Twitter posts had been removed from his account.
Huff made clear in the Monday interview that he wasn’t apologizing for his political views, but rather the way he rubbed, “this fancy little life in people’s faces — making millions of dollars, retired, not having to sit in rush-hour traffic.” He called that portion of his rant, “childish.”
The 40-year-old, two-time World Series champion added that the Twitter rant was actually an extension of a debate with one person on his Facebook account. He had posted support for President Trump when someone lashed back relentlessly. “I just got kind of triggered by a troll and I decided to just hop on Twitter and start firing with pure rage and anger, man,” Huff explained according to East Bay Times.
Huff went on to say, “…what I believe in — the way I view my political stances and the way I see my faith in God — that’s never going to change. Nobody is going to ever tell me any different.”
Huff’s new book, Baseball Junkie: The Rise, Fall and Redemption of a World Series Champion, will be released this week. The Times reported that Huff’s call to the media outlet coincided with the paper preparing a writeup on the book.
Follow Michelle Moons on Twitter @MichelleDiana