If Mets relief pitcher LaTroy Hawkins was in the Dolphins locker room, the mess that has erupted involving Richie Incognito and Jonathan Martin might never have occurred.
All the “honorary brotha” stuff and the text message carrying the N-word might never have been used so freely if Hawkins was around. That’s because the Mets relief pitcher says he doesn’t allow the N-word to be uttered in any clubhouse he inhabits.
Hawkins, who is black, has played for 10 different major league teams over a career that began in 1995. Throughout that tenure he says he has confronted players about their use of certain derogatory words whether in conversation or in the music that’s being played.
“If I tell an African-American player on the team not to use the N-word, don’t use it,” Hawkins said. “I’ve gotten on younger guys about using the word. I’m a stickler for stuff like that because other friends think they can use the word much like the incident in Miami.”
Hawkins made his comments Tuesday night during a reception in the offices of the Jackie Robinson Foundation. Hawkins and former Gold Glove infielder Orlando Hudson were on hand for the announcement of “Pitch 42,” a Jackie Robinson Foundation program involving 16 major league players who have committed $60,000 each in scholarship money to support a deserving student over a four-year period. Derek Jeter, Vernon Wells and CC Sabathia of the Yankees are also among the group.
Hawkins said lending his financial support to a deserving student was a no-brainer. His grandfather used to tell him about listening on the radio to Jackie Robinson playing for the Brooklyn Dodgers before eventually watching him person. Hawkins was told of the verbal abuse Robinson endured, repeatedly being called the N-word by opposing players, managers and fans. He was told of the restraint Robinson had not to retaliate.
“He’s 88,” Hawkins said of his grandfather. “He still talks about Jackie to this day.”
The use of the N-word in conversation and in music played in clubhouses and locker rooms today cheapens Robinson’s legacy and all the men of color who paved the way for today’s athletes. A demeaning word can never become endearing no matter what a rap song might say. It’s why Hawkins won’t allow it said or sung in his presence.
“I will not listen to the B-word and I will not listen to the N-word in the clubhouse at no time,” Hawkins said. “I’ll cut it off all together. I’m a stickler for the music in our clubhouse. Wherever I’m at, if we’re going to listen to this, it’s going to be clean. I’m a believer that if you hear it enough you become desensitized to it, so you think you can use it.”
It was refreshing to hear Hawkins make his stance. At age 40, he was a steal last year, signing a minor-league deal in the spring and then pitching to a 2.93 ERA. When asked if he was going to return to the Mets next season, Hawkins said: “That’s an interesting question.”
He brings added value with his presence in the clubhouse.
Perhaps he’s old enough to be considered old-school, but his beliefs on how to show respect should apply in any generation. The use of the N-word even in jest uttered by someone black, white or brown trivializes the pain and indignities blacks have suffered throughout history. Hawkins said what might seem like innocent slang can ultimately affect team chemistry.
“It can separate a clubhouse,” he said.
The Dolphins obviously had a culture in which Incognito, who is white, apparently felt comfortable sending Martin, who is black, a racist text message. Some of his Dolphins teammates called Incognito an “honorary brotha,” as if it gives someone license to use words that originate from hate. “It’s all about respect,” Hawkins said. “You have to have respect and boundaries.”
Hawkins is trying to make sure those boundaries stay in place.