Red Sox Outfielder Jarren Duran Calls Heckling Fan Anti-Gay Slur, Immediately Apologizes After Loss

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Boston Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran was caught on the broadcast calling a heckling fan an anti-gay slur on Sunday before he and the team immediately apologized for the incident after the contest.

The NESN broadcast of Boston's 10-2 loss to the Houston Astros picked up Duran's comment during the sixth inning. The fan could be heard telling Duran multiple times that he needed a tennis racket to hit the ball before the outfield turned to the fan and said "shut up, you fuc-king fa--ot."

After the game, Duran issued a joint statement with the Red Sox apologizing for his words.

"During tonight's game, I used a truly horrific word when responding to a fan," his statement read. "I feel awful knowing how many people I offended and disappointed. I apologize to the entire Red Sox organization, but more importantly to the entire LGBTQ community."

"Our young fans are supposed to be able to look up to me as a role model, but tonight I fell far short of that responsibility. I will use this opportunity to educate myself and my teammates and grow as a person."

The Red Sox statement explained that the team had addressed the situation with Duran.

"The Red Sox addressed this incident with Jarren immediately following today's game," the statement explained. "We echo Jarren's apology to our fans, especially to the LGBTQ community. We survive to be an organization that welcomes all fans to Fenway Park, and we will continued to educate our employees, players, coaches and staff on the importance on inclusivity."

While Duran immediately apologized for his mistake, OutSports has called for him to be suspended for 20 games while also tying the incident to the recent passing of Billy Bean, which of course has nothing to do with any of this whatsoever.

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Mark covers all sports at OutKick while keeping a close eye on the world of professional golf. He graduated from the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga before earning his master's degree in journalism from the University of Tennessee. He somehow survived living in Knoxville despite ‘Rocky Top’ being his least favorite song ever written. Before joining OutKick, he wrote for various outlets including SB Nation, The Spun, and BroBible. Mark was also a writer for the Chicago Cubs Double-A affiliate in 2016 when the team won the World Series. He's still waiting for his championship ring to arrive. Follow him on Twitter @itismarkharris.