Tori Hunter Calls Reporter A Prick After Being Asked About His Well Known Thoughts On Gay Marriage

http://www.sbnation.com/lookit/2014/12/3/7329083/torii-hunter-mike-berardino-twins-prick

SBNation- Torii Hunter is known for being all smiles and a joy for reporters, but it's not always smiles and it's not always to all reporters. If you ask Hunter about the wrong subject, he might get a little bit upset, even if it's in front of a large crowd during a press conference announcing his signing with the Twins.

Good for Torii Hunter. Not because he is anti-gay marriage. That is soooo last decade. Anyone that really thinks that gay people shouldn't be able to get married in 2014 is a jackass. So yeah, to clarify, Torii Hunter is definitely a jackass, but that's no reason to criticize him for this. Gee, the sports media wonders why the players are so contentious when it comes to talking to them. They wonder why Marshawn Lynch would rather fork over a cool 100K than have a post game discussion. They wonder why players like Richard Sherman and Doug Baldwin make an absolute mockery of the process. This is why.

What do Torii Hunter's beliefs on sexuality, that were clearly stated in 2012, have anything to do with him signing a new deal with the Minnesota Twins in 2014? I realize that the media has a job too, and asking the difficult questions is part of that job. However, to poke and prod for an answer that is already common knowledge is bound to receive a less than welcome response. Everyone, athletes included, are aware that the media's job is to dissect everything they say and bring in eyeballs, but I am not going to get mad at Hunter for lashing out after being provoked. Unfortunately, he let himself get baited and he will get painted as the villain in this scenario.  However, athletes do, and say, enough dumb shit that they don't need the media raking them over the coals for past transgressions. 

If we are being completely honest, Hunter has a completely valid view. He didn't come out and say he hated gay people. He didn't give some completely prejudice reason for his views against gay marriage. He simply stated that, biblically, he doesn't believe it is right. While a majority of people, myself included, think that is an absolutely ludicrous concept, it is definitely not unprecedented. There is a lot of religious wackos out there (See: below the Mason Dixon line) that agree wholeheartedly with what he said. Whether that is right or wrong is obviously debatable, but it's not debatable that this reporters intentions were poor. It's not unreasonable to say he was being a prick.