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Houston Dynamo midfielder Colin Clark used a gay slur to chastise a ball boy Friday night's 2-0 loss against the Seattle Sounders. The situation occurred when the ball went out of bounds and which was award to the Dynamo and the ball boy tossed the ball over the sideline ad boards instead of handing the ball to the extended arms of Clark. Well, to say the least Clark was not happy and used a gay slur toward the boy which was audible over the national broadcast on NBC Sports Network.
Clark did take to twitter to apologize for the situation, but that is likely not enough to avoid punishment from the league.
The MLS released a statement on the incident:
We are aware of the incident involving Houston Dynamo midfielder Colin Clark during the game in Seattle Friday night, and his public apology for it. MLS is conducting a thorough review of the facts and examining possible disciplinary action
As did the Dynamo:
We are aware of the incident involving Colin Clark during the Seattle match. Colin is very remorseful for his actions, which were inappropriate and do not represent his true character. He has issued a public apology and he will personally apologize to the ball boy. The League is reviewing the situation to determine disciplinary measures, and Colin and the club will be fully cooperative in the process.
Over at Dynamo Theory they feel that the MLS must come down on Clark with some punishment that will thwart this behavior going forward:
There is a call from many for MLS to make a stand on this incident and punish Clark for his actions. I couldn't agree more, because something must be done in this case. No matter how much remorse Clark has and shows, a lack of reaction by the league would send a really bad message. This is a chance for MLS to send a loud and clear statement to players, coaches and staffs that hate speech of any kind, under any circumstances, is not going to be tolerated. MLS needs to properly deal with this incident to show its increasingly progressive fan base that it will not allow any behavior of this nature to occur, especially on the field of play.
Expect there to be a fine and some sort of suspension handed to Clark's way once the league go through their review process.
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