Professional athletes are under a microscope on social media more than ever in 2022. It’s impossible to hide anything put on the internet, especially when you continuously boast it to the world.
This was the case for former Red Sox prospect Brett Netzer, who admitted to being racist, homophobic, and everything in between this week. Boston released the prospect immediately, and this was the right call by the organization.
https://twitter.com/BrettNetzer/status/1499420475155439618?s=20&t=vlpBkHNFd1VD13tDXSZKlw
Honestly, it was not a questionable call. The 2017 third-round selection was begging to get cut by his actions on social media. The issues began on Friday when Netzer started tweeting for the first time since December.
Before his recent social media activity, he was very PG online, posting traditional content we see from athletes. His content took a turn for the worst on Friday and progressed throughout the weekend.
He questioned Chaim Bloom’s Jewish faith, demonized African Americans, and preached hate on the LGBTQ community. The tweet that he pinned on his account stated,
“Any person who is secretly transgender, and their partner does not know, and sexual actions have taken place, is a rapist and a sexual molester. may God be the judge.”
When Boston released Netzer, it seemed like he was excited. His social media activity showed this was his goal, but it’s clear something is going on with Netzer.
I am no psychologist, but there was a transition in his social media behavior. He went from a normal social media user to jumping off the deep end. The Red Sox organization has been a leader in demoting hate, so this was an easy call for executives.
We will likely never see Netzer in the show.
