Mets ownership: Van Wagenen's misunderstanding is 'inexcusable'
New York Mets ownership has issued a statement regarding general manager Brodie Van Wagenen's disparaging comments about Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred.
"To clear up any misunderstandings, it was my suggestion to potentially look into playing the game later because of scheduling issues," Mets COO Jeff Wilpon said in the release, obtained by Mark Feinsand of MLB.com.
"Brody's misunderstanding of a private conversation was and is inexcusable," Jeff continued, misspelling Van Wagenen's first name.
Fred Wilpon, the team's chairman and CEO, also misspelled Van Wagenen's name while apologizing to the commissioner on behalf of the franchise.
"I am very stressed and disappointed to learn tonight that our general manager, Brodie Van Wagenen, made disrespectful and inaccurate comments about our commissioner, a long-time close friend of mine. I hold Rob in the highest regard and in no way are Brody's remarks reflective of my views or the organization's. Rob continues to be a great leader of Major League Baseball. I apologize for any harm this incident has caused Rob."
The statements are in response to Van Wagenen accidentally getting caught criticizing Manfred on the team's livestream. At the time, he thought the commissioner wanted to persuade Mets players to go on with their Thursday night game against the Miami Marlins one hour later than previously scheduled, instead of protesting it altogether.
After the video gained traction, Van Wagenen released a statement apologizing to Manfred, while acknowledging that it was actually Jeff Wilpon's idea for the players to hold a one-hour protest.
Manfred himself also released a statement reiterating his support of player protests and respecting their decisions.
The Wilpon family is currently conducting a sale of the Mets franchise, with a second round of bidding occurring by Aug. 31. The three parties reportedly still tied to the purchase of the team include a group led by Steve Cohen, another led by Alex Rodriguez and Jennifer Lopez, and a third organized by Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment.