Seattle Mariners president and CEO Kevin Mather resigned Monday after comments he made to a Rotary Club earlier this month surfaced and received widespread backlash Sunday.
Mariners chairman and managing partner John Stanton said in a statement Monday that he “was extremely disappointed” when he learned of Mather’s comments, which were made to a Bellevue, Washington, Rotary Club on Feb. 5 and were posted online over the weekend.
“His comments were inappropriate and do not represent our organization’s feelings about our players, staff, and fans,” Stanton said. “There is no excuse for what was said, and I won’t try to make one. I offer my sincere apology on behalf of the club and my partners to our players and fans. We must be, and do, better. We have a lot of work to do to make amends, and that work is already underway.”
Mather’s resignation is effective immediately, with Stanton taking on the roles of CEO and team president on an interim basis. Stanton said Mather resigned before a decision had to be made whether to fire him, and there had been no determination yet about whether Mather will receive a severance or what will happen to his small ownership stake in the franchise.
“There were a number of comments made by Kevin that, as I’ve said, didn’t reflect the Mariners, don’t reflect what I believe, what our ownership believes, and were inappropriate,” Stanton told reporters. “Those comments included some of the things that have been referenced with respect to our players, and in particular the importance of diversity and inclusion in our organization.”
Mather had been with the team since 1996. He was promoted to his current role in November 2017.