Members of the Scrap Yard Dawgs professional softball team shared their objections to GM Connie May's tweet during their game Monday night.
Members of the Scrap Yard Dawgs professional softball team have said they will never play for the team again after general manager Connie May's insensitive tweet Monday night.
The Houston-based independent softball team started a seven-game series against the USSSA Pride on Monday at Space Coast Stadium in Florida. During the game, a tweet was sent out from the team's official account with a photo of Scrap Yard players standing during the national anthem. The now-deleted tweet included the message "Everyone respecting the FLAG!" and tagged President Donald Trump's twitter handle.
Trump has repeatedly stated his dislike for athletes who kneel during the national anthem to protest racial injustice and police brutality.
Once the team found out about the tweet, several Scrap Yard players shared their objections on social media.
Scrap Yard players told ESPN's Graham Hays that they spoke to May after the game, but the meeting did not go as they hoped.
"We were able to have a discussion about that," Keilani Ricketts said. "It didn't exactly seem like [May] was listening. She said sorry, but her actions–it wasn't exactly clear that she was listening to what we were trying to tell her, what the public has been trying to tell all of us the past few weeks."
Some players walked out of the meeting with May, and as of Tuesday afternoon, they had not heard from her. Scrap Yard has not publicly commented on the tweet either.
Several players have stated their desire to no longer play for the team, although they have also considered the option of finishing their current series in uniforms that don't feature the Scrap Yard logo. Kelsey Stewart, a Black player also on the U.S. Olympic team, told ESPN that USSSA executive director Don DeDonatis III visited the players Monday night and said he'd support whatever decision they reach.
Stewart would prefer to leave the team entirely.
"That trust is entirely broken," she told ESPN. "I will never play for the Scrap Yard organization again."