Mo'ne Davis is batting for her offender. The Little League World Series star, 13, was recently called a "slut" by a Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania baseball player on Twitter, resulting in his subsequent dismissal from the college team.
The offender, college junior Joey Casselberry, was kicked off Bloomsburg's team after he wrote last Friday in a now-deleted tweet: "Disney is making a movie about Mo'ne Davis? WHAT A JOKE. That slut got rocked by Nevada."
Before he deleted his tweet and entire Twitter account, Casselberry reportedly apologized for his disrespectful words. "An example that one stupid tweet can ruin someone’s life and I couldn’t be more sorry about my actions last night," he said (according to Philly.com). "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."
On Monday, Mar. 23, Davis appeared on ESPN's SportsCenter to discuss the incident, revealing that she asked Bloomsburg to reinstate him.
"Everyone makes mistakes," Davis said on the program. "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."
Philadelphia native Davis made sports history last summer after becoming the first girl to pitch a shut-out at the Little League World Series. Despite Casselberry's scathing words, Davis told ESPN that he was probably in more pain than her at the moment.
"I know right now, he’s really hurt," she told SportsCenter, "and I know how hard he worked just to get to where he is right now. I was pretty hurt on my part, but I know he’s 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?"
Bloomsburg released a statement on Monday, confirming that the Little League star did, in fact, plead with the school to reconsider its decision.
"Her request demonstrates the type of person she is, her level of maturity and the empathy that her family and coach teach her," the university wrote. "Bloomsburg University stands firm on our decision; however, his consequences will be reviewed as is common in disciplinary actions like this."
