Brewers players shocked by Josh Hader's tweets, but willing to hear him out

Todd Rosiak | Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

What would normally have been a low-key, voluntary workout for the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park on Thursday took on a decidedly different tone in the wake of the Josh Hader controversy.

Two days earlier, racist, homophobic and misogynistic tweets from Hader’s Twitter account dating to 2011 were unearthed during the All-Star Game. Hader addressed the situation immediately afterward, but the effects have lingered.

Like his other four all-star teammates, Hader wasn’t in attendance. He’s expected to address the media Friday in advance of the Brewers’ weekend series against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The general sentiment in the clubhouse was one of forgiveness. But there was also a sense of disbelief that such ugly comments could have been attributed to Hader, who has generally been viewed as one of the more unassuming and laid-back players on the team.

“I think you feel a bunch of things,” manager Craig Counsell said when asked for his general thoughts on the situation.

“I’m disappointed. At the same time I’m confused because it’s not the person or the teammate that I’ve known for the last three years. So I think you’re feeling both those things.

“That’s how I think a lot of guys feel.”

Craig Counsell on Josh Hader's tweets Brewers manager Craig Counsell talks about Josh Hader's offensive tweets and where the pitcher can go from here.

To a man, the players that addressed the controversy first and foremost expressed their distaste for Hader’s tweets. Then they pointed out that based on everything they know about Hader and have experienced up to now, the 24-year-old is nothing like the 17-year-old that spouted off on social media.

“It's disappointing, I think it's unacceptable, but at the same time I've known Josh for two years and I've never seen him act that way, speak that way or do anything in any way that would represent those tweets,” leftfielder Ryan Braun said. “I feel bad for him that he has to go through this situation.

“In my experience of knowing, I've never seen him act that way or speak that way. Or do anything remotely like that.”

Third baseman Travis Shaw called the situation “a lot to deal with.”

“I can’t really defend anything he said,” Shaw said. “I know it was a long time ago but at the same time, those tweets are wrong. It’s a lot. I can defend the person he is now. I would have never guessed that something like that would come from him. He’s a good kid now.

“I’d never in 100 years guess that he’d say something like that. At the same time, I can’t really defend anything he said. All that stuff is wrong. I guess we all will try to move past this and put it behind us as much as we can.”

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Outfielder Keon Broxton, one of four African-American players on the Brewers, said he’ll forgive Hader.

“I was shocked. Definitely stunned by the things that were said,” he said. “But knowing him the last couple years, it’s kind of hard to even see him saying something like that. It’s definitely a complete shock.

“I didn’t know him when he was 17, or whenever those tweets were, but knowing him now, I don’t think he feels the same way or was using those words in a way to bash on the African-American culture.

“I know the guy, I love him. He’s a great teammate. He’s been a great friend to me. It’s very shocking to see this happen.”

Keon Broxton on Josh Hader "I know you, not from tweets, not from a picture you posted, I know you from having a conversation with you." -- Keon Broxton on teammate Josh Hader

Perhaps nobody on the Brewers is more qualified to speak on Hader than outfielder Brett Phillips.

The two have been roommates for the past three years – at Class AA Biloxi, Class AAA Colorado Springs and with the Brewers. After also making it clear he didn’t condone what Hader tweeted, Phillips offered up his perspective of Hader as a person as someone who’s seen him on a day-to-day basis and in many different situations.

“I just want to speak on behalf of his character,” he said. “I’ve lived with Hader the last three years. I’m a Christian man and not once has he made me feel uncomfortable. Not once has he made me feel as if he is a racist or someone who talks down to women. I’ve lived with him and not once has that come out.

“Obviously it’s crazy to see that it came to light, and I was in just as much disbelief as everyone else because Hader’s one of those guys who respects everyone. He’s a great teammate and that’s who he’s been since I’ve known him.”

Hader was drafted in 2012 by the Baltimore Orioles in the 19th round, and the following season he was traded to the Houston Astros. It was there, in 2014, that he met Phillips, and in 2015 the two were traded along with Domingo Santana and Adrian Houser to the Brewers for Carlos Gomez and Mike Fiers.

“I didn’t know Hader back in 2011. It sounds like he was in a dark place and just not a good person,” Phillips said. “But that’s not who Hader is and I know a lot of people aren’t going to be able to see past this. But I’m here to tell you now that I’ve known Hader the past four years, he’s one of my best friends in baseball and out of baseball, and that’s not who he is anymore.

“I’m a firm believer that people can change for good or bad, and seeing those tweets, he’s changed for the best. That’s honestly all I can say about it. I know he’s deeply sorry for this, as he should be.”

Hader has been one of the most dominant relievers in baseball this season, sporting a 2-0 record, 1.50 earned run average and a WHIP of .079 to go along with 89 strikeouts in 48 innings en route to being named an all-star for the first time.

But can the left-hander continue to pitch as well in the second half as he did in the first with all the controversy swirling around him, and with the Brewers pushing to return to the postseason for the first time since 2011 to boot?

“It’s a challenge for Josh,” Counsell said. “In my conversations, he’s sad. I think that’s the best way to describe it. He’s sad. He’s got a challenge ahead of him. But the hope is the competition and the game and doing what he loves to do is part of his way to rebound from this a little bit.”

Hader wasn’t suspended by Major League Baseball for the tweets, but he was ordered to undergo sensitivity training. He’s also expected to address his teammates, coaches and staff prior to Friday’s game, and Billy Bean, originally MLB's ambassador for inclusion and now a VP and special assistant to commissioner Rob Manfred, will be on hand.

But apologizing to teammates and a generally sympathetic audience is one thing. Changing public sentiment is another, and that’s just another challenge the former fan favorite is going to have to face in the coming days, weeks, months and years.

“Look, that's part of this. That's the reality of this situation,” general manager David Stearns acknowledged. “When you make comments like this and when you have sentiments like this associated with you, regardless of when they appear, people are going to question your intent and they're going to question what your belief system is. Josh is going to have to work through that.

“I don't know how he's going to work through that. The truth of the matter is he put himself in this situation and he is going to have to work very hard to get through it.”

The timing of the controversy couldn’t be worse for the Brewers, who limped into the break losers of seven of eight games. Then on Wednesday, one-time trade target Manny Machado was acquired by the Dodgers, leaving him to make his National League debut as an opponent Friday at Miller Park.

Clubhouse chemistry has been one of the strong suits of the Brewers the past couple seasons. And while Counsell and his players feel the positive culture is strong enough to overcome this latest issue, it’s still something that’s going to linger for a while.

“Yeah, it can be (a test),” Shaw said. “There’s a lot of different ways this could go, a lot of directions this could go. It’s not going to go away. It’s not something that a week later everybody is going to forget about. It’s going to be there for the rest of the year if not longer.

“It’s something we’re going to have to manage and he’s going to have to manage. Hopefully, we will learn and he will learn and we’ll all be better for it.”

Counsell said it’s on Hader and the rest of the team to address it, move on from it and start winning games once again.

“I don’t want this to sound callous, but your job is to deal with it head-on and then our responsibility is to move on because we have another job that we’re here to do, and that’s what we’re going to do,” he said. “For Josh, frankly, it’s going to last longer. It’s going to be his challenge.

“But it’s going to be his challenge professionally to be able to move on and perform."