Seattle’s Marc Burch issues apology for awful display

Seriously, guys … haven’t we learned a lesson on this particularly unpleasant bit of indiscretion by now?

There was Lee Nguyen’s homophobic Tweet from pre-season, which landed the then-Vancouver Whitecap in social media hot water, although the damage on that one was fairly quickly contained.

Then there was Colin Clark’s awful choice to not just berate a young ball boy, but to do so with a homophobic slur.  Double word score bad on that one. The Houston Dynamo midfielder got three matches for it – and to his credit Clark has worked hard to create awareness of the destructive potential of his actions.

But it seems not everyone was paying attention. Seattle Sounders defender Marc Burch is the latest MLS guilty of a using a gay slur in a match, the latest violator caught during a national broadcast, this one a playoff game between his club and Real Salt Lake. Burch just issued a statement of apology Friday through the team:

I apologize for my horrific choice of words last night during our match. This is something that is inconsistent with my family values and because of that I am both disappointed and embarrassed by my level of poor judgment. I take seriously my role as a leader in the community and this is completely regrettable and unacceptable. Character matters and I hope through hard work on and off the field to begin earning your respect and trust again.”