NEW YORK — Josh Donaldson, who’s been in the limelight since Saturday after referring to Tim Anderson as Jackie Robinson, said he and the White Sox shortstop now have a “mutual understanding” over his “Jackie” comment.
“First and foremost, I have the utmost respect for what Tim Anderson brings in the game of baseball,” Donaldson wrote in a statement shared Thursday morning. “I stated over the weekend that I apologized for offending Tim and that it was a misunderstanding based on multiple exchanges between us over the years. My view of that exchange hasn’t changed and I absolutely meant no disrespect. In the past, it had never been an issue and now that it is, we have a mutual understanding.
“I would also like to apologize to Mrs. Rachel Robinson and the Jackie Robinson family for any distress this incident may have caused,” Donaldson continued. “Jackie was a true American hero and I hold his name in the highest regard.”