Cardinals investigating allegations from gay prospect who quit over slurs

The St. Louis Cardinals are looking into allegations from a former minor-league pitcher who said he quit baseball because of anti-gay comments.

Ex-Cardinals farmhand Tyler Dunnington revealed Wednesday he left baseball after hearing derogatory remarks, allegedly from former coaches and teammates.

"This is very disappointing and our hope is that every player, staff member, and employee feels they are treated equally and fairly," general manager John Mozeliak wrote in an email to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "Given the nature of these allegations I will certainly look into this further as well as speak with Billy Bean of the Commissioner’s office for further assistance on this matter … we will take this very seriously."

Dunnington, who is gay, spoke with Cyd Ziegler of Outsports about the incidents that led him to quit the game he loved:

Dunnington, who said he did not come out until after pitching in rookie and Single-A baseball in 2014, also sent an email to Ziegler detailing the circumstances, saying he "experienced both coaches and players make remarks on killing gay people during my time in baseball."

During Dunnington's tenure in the Cardinals organization, Ziegler wrote, he heard two separate teammates allegedly question a third about how he could be associated with a gay brother, while also mentioning ways to "kill gay people."

However, it was a comment from a college coach about Matthew Shepard - a University of Wyoming student who was murdered in 1998 - that ultimately "killed Dunnington's spirit," according to Ziegler.

"We kill gay people in Wyoming," the coach allegedly said in front of Dunnington.

Dunnington joins Milwaukee Brewers farmhand David Denson as players who have come out during their time in baseball. Denson became the first to do so in August 2015.