D.C. United has fired an athletic trainer for a discriminatory hand gesture, the club said on Friday night.
The club did not name the trainer but The Washington Post reported that the person fired was Reade Whitney, the team’s head athletic trainer
In a staff photo taken during an MLS All-Star Game training session, Whitney was pictured giving the “OK” gesture, which the Anti-Defamation League says has been used as a symbol of white supremacy since it arose as an internet hoax in 2017.
“D.C. United have terminated the employment of the club’s athletic trainer effective immediately,” a club statement read.
“This termination is the result of an internal review following the discovery of a discriminatory hand gesture made by the individual that surfaced in a photograph published across social media platforms on July 20, 2023.
“There is no place for racism, homophobia, misogyny, or discrimination of any kind in our sport and world and D.C. United do not tolerate any acts of this nature.”
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