MLB umpire Rob Drake is a veteran in the majors, having been part of the league since 2010. Drake made his umpire debut in 1999 and has worked in the postseason in 2010, from 2012 to 2015, 2020 and 2021. He was also part of the 2013 All-Star crew, however, the 54-year-old Pennsylvania native got into trouble for controversially expressing himself in 2019.
According to ESPN, Drake once expressed his objection on X (previously known as Twitter) regarding the impeachment proceedings against then-United States President Donald Trump.
In his tweet (which has now been deleted), Drake said:
“If you impeach MY PRESIDENT this way, YOU WILL HAVE ANOTHER CIVAL WAR!!! #MAGA2020."
Before deactivating his account, Drake posted another tweet that read:
“You can't do an impeachment inquiry from the basement of Capital Hill without even a vote! What is going on in this country?"
MLB launched an investigation into Rob Drake
The MLB commissioner, Rob Manfred, initiated an investigation after umpire Rob Drake stopped responding to calls and messages. The MLB Umpires Association described Drake as "passionate" in their statement.
“Rob is a passionate individual and an outstanding umpire. He chose the wrong way to convey his opinion about our great country,” said the association. “We are a group of individuals with diverse opinions and beliefs, united in our desire to continue our excellence officiating MLB games.”
According to ESPN, Drake admitted his mistake and apologized.
"I want to personally apologize to everyone that my words made feel less safe," said Drake.
"I especially want to apologize to every person who has been affected by gun violence in our country. I also acknowledge and apologize for the controversy this has brought to Major League Baseball, my fellow umpires and my family. I never intended to diminish the threat of violence from assault weapons, or violence of any kind."
After the incident, Drake continued his career and officiated in the 2020 Wild Card Series and the 2021 Championship Series.
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