In the wake of comments by ESPN’s Colin Cowherd disparaging the intelligence of Dominican baseball players, Jose Bautista has responded with a written statement.

Bautista was initially angered by Cowherd’s remarks and tweeted his displeasure in no uncertain terms on Thursday night.

The Toronto Blue Jays outfielder issued the following statement on Friday regarding Cowherd and his remarks.

“In regards to Colin’s comments, while I do appreciate his attempt to clarify his previous remarks I do not believe it was an acceptable one. I also want to take this opportunity to share how I feel. Not only am I proud to be from the Dominican Republic, but it is an honor to be representing the DR in Major League Baseball.

Unfortunately there are hardships that do exist for people of every background and in some circumstances, yes there are “educational hurdles”. However there is a difference between that and ignorance or stupidity which I believe was implied.

This is why we should be using our platforms in a positive way and one of the reasons why I started The Bautista Family Education Fund, which continues to help raise awareness and provide assistance for young athletes by providing access to higher education. It is important that these athletes succeed on and off the field. I also want to applaud the MLBPA and MLB’s recent joint efforts to improve the access to education for ALL of our players.

Thank you for the continued support from the MLB and now out of respect to our fans, back to baseball!“