San Diego Loyal walk off field in protest after opposing player allegedly used gay slur during game
The San Diego Loyal walked off of the field during their USL Championship match against the Phoenix Rising in protest of Phoenix midfielder Junior Flemming allegedly directing a homophobic slur towardsLoyal midfielder Collin Martin.
According to The Athletic's Jeff Rueter, Flemming repeatedly called Martin "batty boy," which is a term meant to insult gay men in Jamaican culture. To show solidarity with Martin, who came out as gay in 2018, the entire Loyal roster took a knee to start the second half before walking off the pitch. The team's official Twitter offered an explanation for the decision.
For his part, Flemming denied that he said anything derogatory toward Flemming, saying he was "disappointed by San Diego's actions" and that there was "no evidence" that he had made any homophobic remarks. Rising head coach Rick Schantz questioned Loyal manager Landon Donovan for the decision, though he later made it clear he did not approve of any slurs being used by his team.
While Flemming denied that he said anything bigoted, there seems to be ample evidence, including audio, that shows used the alleged slur multiple times in regard to Martin. The USL announced that it will launch an official investigation of the incident while stating that "foul and abusive language of any type has absolutely no place in our society and will not be tolerated in USL matches."
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