Blue Jays center fielder Kevin Pillar was suspended for two games last month after cameras clearly caught him saying a gay slur on the field during an altercation with the Braves. Here's the dust-up:
Closer shots of Pillar showed him to say "f-----t" in the direction of Braves reliever Jason Motte. Motte and Braves catcher Kurt Suzuki took exception to the slur and that's what caused the heated exchanges.
In the aftermath, both Pillar and the Blue Jays offered up apologies and Pillar was suspended for two games. Those lost games cost Pillar nearly $7,000 of his $555,000 salary. ESPN.com reports Pillar is working with MLB to have his forfeited salary donated to LGBTQ groups.
"It's not lip service," Pillar said. "It's easy to come out and make your apologies and hope people forget, but I meant what I said when I said hopefully I'll be made an example of."
Also per ESPN.com, the two Toronto-area LGBTQ groups are as follows:
The two groups selected are PFLAG, an advocacy and support group for the LGBTQ community, and You Can Play, which seeks to make sports safe and open for athletes regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity.
Pillar returned from his suspension on May 20. He's struggled since, hitting .140/.213/.233 after slashing .305/.357/.497 pre-suspension, though it would be a stretch to declare everything related at this point.
