Paul Arriola apologizes for ‘discriminatory’ tweets
The United States men’s international star had to apologize for the ‘offensive’ and ‘discriminatory' tweets he posted back in 2012.
Paul Arriola is currently on loan at Swansea City in the English Championship trying to help the team make a late push to return to the Premier League. So far he has only made two league appearances and one in the FA Cup. His loan expires on 31 May of this year and he is set to return to DC United for the 2021 MLS season that starts on 17 April.
‘Offensive’ and ‘discriminatory’ tweets
When Arriola was 17 years old he wrote a number of tweets on his account that are considered ‘offensive’ and ‘discriminatory.’ “Women commentators, that’s a no no. Guillermo López Lugo called a nigga… WTF he’s darker than an indian. Find a nigga like me, truth be told I don’t know many. I didn’t know black people liked swimming,” he wrote back in 2012.
Arriola apologizes
The tweets resurfaced this weekend and Arriola apologized for his words. Also his current club, Swansea City, is aware of what he wrote when he was a teenager, but released a statement about the situation.
"I am ashamed and apologize for the choice of offensive and discriminatory words I used in the tweets as they were not acceptable then or now," Arriola said in a statement on Twitter. "I can assure you that I have grown and learned since then and those tweets did not accurately portray me as a human being at that time in my life, and they certainly do not now.
"Those who know me know my true character [...]. I am aware of the privileged position I am in as a professional athlete and role model [...] and I can assure you that posts containing such language will never be used again."
Swansea’s statement
"We want to make clear we do not condone any form of discriminatory behaviour from anyone associated with our club," Swansea said in a statement. “Swansea City has been discussing the issue with Paul, and we support his decision to be the one to address these historical tweets and to issue an apology.
“Paul is committed to participating in both unconscious and conscious bias training, which he will undertake upon his return to DC United."