Athletics bench coach Ryan Christenson is in some hot water. He came under fire Thursday night for raising his arm during a postgame celebration. It was apparent to anyone who was watching exactly what that gesture was.
Christenson made the gesture while greeting closer Liam Hendriks after the Athletics’ 6-4 victory over the Texas Rangers.
Hendriks pushed Christenson’s arm down and cameras showed him laughing and briefly raising his arm a second time.
Watch below:
Christenson issued an apology:
“I made a mistake and will not deny it,” he said in a statement through the team. “Today in the dugout I greeted players with a gesture that was offensive. In the world today of COVID, I adapted our elbow bump, which we do after wins, to create some distance with the players. My gesture unintentionally resulted in a racist and horrible salute that I do not believe in. What I did is unacceptable and I deeply apologize.”
Oakland released a statement, apologizing for the “offensive” gesture.
“We do not support or condone this gesture or the racist sentiment behind it,” the team said. “This is incredibly offensive, especially in these times when we as a club and so many others are working to expose and address racial inequities in our country. We are deeply sorry that this happened on our playing field.”
The A’s Bench coach played in the majors in 1998-2003.
He was reportedly a candidate for Pittsburgh Pirates manager during the off-season but did not get the position. He could kiss any future managerial job goodbye.
