mo davis

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Last year, Mo’ne Davis took the sporting world by storm. Mo’ne was only 13 years old at the time, and she is the first girl to throw a shutout in Little League World Series history. She’s an inspiration for girls and boys, a poster girl for community athletic programs and for gender equality in sports. She’s also just a really cool young lady, and obviously, Hollywood has come knocking. Disney has already announced that they’re going to make a TV movie about Mo’ne called Throw Like Mo. Great story, right? Who could say anything negative about that, right?

Well, meet Joey Casselberry, a student at Bloomsburg University and a player on the college baseball team. Over the weekend, Casselberry tweeted: “Disney is making a movie about Mo’ne Davis? WHAT A JOKE. That slut got rocked by Nevada.” Yes. He seriously wrote that. Was it that he calls every female a “slut”? Or was it something more personal about this 14-year-old girl? Well, we don’t even have to care because the university kicked him off the team. He deleted the tweet and then his Twitter, and he issued this apology:

“An example that one stupid tweet can ruin someone’s life and I couldn’t be more sorry about my actions last night. I please ask you to forgive me and truly understand that I am in no way shape or form a sexist and I am a huge fan of Mo’ne. She was quite an inspiration.”

Eh. Not a great apology. But what did you expect from a guy who uses “slut” to describe any woman or girl? Anyway, Mo’ne decided to show more grace and class than most of us would be capable of and she issued a statement about the situation:

“Everyone makes mistakes. Everyone deserves a second chance. I know he didn’t mean it in that type of way. I know people get tired of seeing me on TV. But sometimes you got to think about what you’re doing before you do it. It hurt on my part, but he hurt even more. If it was me, I would want to take that back. I know how hard he’s worked. Why not give him a second chance?”

[Via E! News]

This made me ache a little bit. That she would be this gracious in the face of such douchebaggery is stunning. And no, it’s not about “people get tired of seeing me on TV.” Don’t ever apologize for existing, Mo’ne.

And here’s the happy ending: Bloomsburg University heard Mo’ne’s request and they think she’s an awesome person, but that douchebag is still suspended from the team. The university issued a statement saying: “Her request demonstrates the type of person she is, her level of maturity and the empathy that her family and coach teach her. Bloomsburg University stands firm on our decision; however, his consequences will be reviewed as is common in disciplinary actions like this.” I love that the university is all “she’s amazing but NOPE, this bro is a d-bag.”

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Photos courtesy of Sports Illustrated, Getty.