Guthrie said he used a lack of judgement in wearing shirt and apologizes

KANSAS CITY - It is not often that a player during a series as important as the American League Championship Series asks to come to the interview room, but former Oriole Jeremy Guthrie did that here today. He apologized for wearing a shirt last night that said "These O's Ain't Royal." It is clear that the shirt stirred up a firestorm on social media circles and Guthrie has gotten plenty of criticism, some of which even apparently came from the Orioles clubhouse. During a 90-second opening comment to reporters, here is what Guthrie said: "I came in here (last night) with no intention of inciting anything. It's a shirt that I received yesterday. We get a number of things from the fans. Unfortunately I used a lack of judgement in putting the shirt on after the game. Never changed and came in here and wore it. "What ensued was not what I intended. There was no intention to call the attention to the other team - friends and former teammates, certainly not the organization and most definitely not their fans. "There has been a comment on what it refers to. For the most part, I'm pretty unaware. I know there is a rhyme and that is where the shirt came from. That is what looked to be quote, unquote clever. Unfortunately clever is not a good situation here. "I want to apologize and I've already apologized to a number of people. Because there is no intention on my part to offend. If you know me, I am not a person that wants to get anyone angry with me or my squad. "This is totally on my shoulders. I take that. That is why I wanted to call you here to apologize to everybody. Anyone and everyone that was offended, you'll never see the shirt again. The shirt was sent to me and it will be sent to the garbage because that is probably where it belongs at this point. I am willing to accept that and any reaction that has come my way, I understand it, I've accepted it and I will move on." Guthrie said he wears an expansive wardrobe and just wasn't sure that shirt would cause such a stir. "Frankly I still don't see... the fans were very upset, Orioles fans were very upset," Guthrie said. "They felt I was slighting the city and an organization that showed me nothing but respect. I still don't think the shirt, what it said, disrespected the Orioles organization, but if that is the way they feel, I need to apologize." Guthrie was asked who he apologized to in the O's organization. "Friends that reached out," he said. "I have very good friends on the Orioles. So, those that said that was a pretty low blow or inappropriate. I don't want to give names, but if you cover the Orioles you know who my friends are and a few of those who I was closest with expressed that. So I apologized and they accept that. They said we understand and go from there. You can't take this back, but you can apologize and never do it again."