Aubrey Huff’s social media conduct has created a rift between him and the club he helped lead to a World Series title in 2010.
The San Francisco Giants announced on Monday that Huff would not be invited to the club’s 2010 reunion this August for his “unacceptable” behavior on social media which has included (but is not limited to) “joking” about kidnapping and enslaving Iranian women, and teaching his sons how to use guns in case Bernie Sanders wins the presidency.
It took Huff only a few hours to respond to the Giants’ statement with a statement of his own, where he accused the team of discriminating against his conservative political views.
So far, Huff doesn’t appear to be receiving much public sympathy from former teammates, with Buster Posey among the notable names that declined to comment on Tuesday. He’s certainly not receiving any sympathy from broadcaster Mike Krukow, who explained to Murph & Mac on Tuesday that Huff dropped the ball when it came to his responsibility as a representative of the Giants organization.
“I think that Aubrey Huff blew it, and I think him not being included is something he needs to take to heart,” Krukow said. “I don’t think it’s going to affect the invitation in 20 years should he compose himself a little more responsibly on social media. He had a chance to represent the Giants away from the community, even though he’s not under contract, I think it’s a contract you sign for life…I just think he’s been irresponsible and he’s paying a price for it.
“The one thing that never really gets discussed: In every contract you ever sign with a professional team, is they have a clause in there where they talk about how you as a player have to comport yourself in an appropriate manner. Those are words that when you sign your contract, they’ll stop the discussion and point to it and say ‘Do you understand this?’ The whole idea is to create a positive image in the community on behalf of the Giants.”
Krukow says the Giants’ decision to bar a former player from an event such as the upcoming reunion is not unprecedented, but declined to give specific examples. Krukow was also direct when asked if he’ll miss Huff at Oracle Park on Aug. 16.
“Me personally? No.”
Listen to the full interview below.