Aubrey Huff steers further away from SF Giants, slammed for criticizing players taking knee at exhibition game
Aubrey Huff faced backlash on social media after criticizing San Francisco Giants for taking a knee ahead of their exhibition bout against Oakland Athletics on Monday. The former MLB star has had a contentious relationship with his former team over political views, with The Giants even barring him from their reunion earlier this year. The two-time World Series champion lashed out in a series of tweets against the Black Lives Matter movement and said he was proud that he wasn't invited to the Giants' 10-year celebration of their World Series triumph. San Francisco Giants manager Gabe Kapler grabbed headlines as he joined several Giants players in kneeling during the national anthem ahead of their 6-2 victory over the Athletics at the at Oakland Coliseum. Right fielder Jaylin Davis and first base coach Antoan Richardson took a knee as shortstop Brandon Crawford placed a hand on each of their shoulders while standing in between.
Huff wasn't pleased after the MLB's official Twitter handle shared footage of the players and coaches kneeling. "I'm proud to not be invited to the San Francisco Giants 10 year World Series reunion. I'm Pro America," he tweeted in response to the viral clip. The Giants subsequently shared the same clip and wrote "Black Lives Matter" in the caption. Huff replied to that tweet as well, saying, "All Lives Matter." Twitterati exploded following Huff's rant, with some alleging he had once taken a knee during the national anthem himself. "Never forget when @aubrey_huff kneeled during the anthem to support Black Lives Matter during his playing days! Thanks for supporting the cause, Aubrey!" one wrote. "Imagining Aubrey huff cutting a phone call with his children short and running to his computer to fire off a tweet," a second wrote alongside a video of the Giants' national anthem footage. "Just in case you're wondering how much of a little b**** @aubrey_huff is: Masks scare him, and kneeling angers him," a third chimed in.
"Somebody check on @aubrey_huff family. lol, he’s a little sensitive so I’m sure yesterday’s Giants pregame kneeling upset him a little bit," another added.
The Giants confirmed in February that they weren't inviting Huff to a reunion of their 2010 World Series-winning team in light of offensive comments he had made on social media. The get-together is due in August. "Aubrey has made multiple comments on social media that are unacceptable and run counter to the values of our organization," the Giants said in a statement at the time. "While we appreciate the many contributions that Aubrey made to the 2010 championship season, we stand by our decision."
Last November, Huff shared a picture of himself holding a shooting target with holes, saying he was teaching his kids how to use a gun in the "unlikely event" Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) beat President Donald J. Trump in the November elections. "Getting my boys trained up on how to use a gun in the unlikely event @BernieSanders beats @realDonaldTrump in 2020," he wrote. "In which case knowing how to effectively use a gun under socialism will be a must. By the way, most of the headshots were theirs."
At the time, TMZ Sports asked him who he was training his children to shoot. "Ummmm crazy people rioting and trying to break into my house for food or shelter. And yes that includes Americans. And they aren’t fellow Americans if they are breaking into my house and trying to harm my family dumbass," Huff explained at the time.
Just two months later, Huff came under fire for posting a tweet joking about kidnapping Iranian women. "Let's get a flight over and kidnap about 10 each," he wrote. "We can bring them back here as they fan us and feed us grapes, amongst other things."
After learning he was not invited to the Giants' reunion, Huff told The Athletic in February that he was "shocked" by the decision. "Disappointed. If it wasn't for me, they wouldn't be having a reunion," he said. "But if they want to stick with their politically correct, progressive bullshit, that's fine."
Huff mocked Kapler on Monday, suggesting that his decision to kneel proved he was the perfect hire for the "woke" Giants, after he took over as their manager in November last year. Huff also slammed the Giants and the MLB for supporting the kneeling protests during the national anthem. "Way to go San Francisco Giants and MLB, you had a chance to take people's mind off the crazy world they live in," he tweeted. "Instead you reminded them of the world they are trying to escape."
And in a follow-up tweet, Huff taunted his former team saying female coach Alyssa Nakken "has more balls than some @SFGiants players" after she chose to stand during the anthem. In his 13 seasons in Major League Baseball, Aubrey Huff has played for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, Houston Astros, Baltimore Orioles, Detroit Tigers, and finally the San Francisco Giants, with whom he played two World Series championships.