Toronto Blue Jays shortstop Yunel Escobar will miss this week’s three-game series against the hometown New York Yankees for an anti-gay slur written under his eyes during a Sept. 15 home game against Boston.
The three-game suspension, which begins Tuesday, was meted out by the team after being agreed upon after Escobar met with Blue Jays management, Major League Baseball and the MLB Players’ Association.
Escobar played Saturday's home game against Boston with a homophobic slur written in Spanish under his eyes. The words under the 29-year-old Cuban's eyes were "TU ERE MARICON," which can be translated as "You are a fa--ot."Several pictures posted online show Escobar with the message written on his eye-black stickers, which are often worn under the eyes to reduce the sun's glare.Some Spanish-speaking people have said since the incident that the phrase is sometimes used, particularly by men, in a joking way, not in a literal form intended to insult.The salary forfeited by Escobar's during his suspension will go to You Can Play and the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation.He will participate in an outreach initiative to help educate society about sensitivity and tolerance to others based on their sexual orientation, and also attend a sensitivity training program in accordance with the Blue Jays and MLB.Escobar made his big-league debut with Atlanta in 2007 and was traded to the Blue Jays in 2010.Escobar is batting .259 this season with nine home runs and 49 runs batted in.With files from The Canadian Press