An MLB announcer mocked a Black player for wearing a durag, but the player took the high road to the 'racist undertones' and used it to promote his apparel brand

• Arizona Diamondbacks broadcaster Bob Brenly made a sarcastic comment about Marcus Stroman's durag.
• Brenly elicited severe backlash on social media from those who thought his comment was racist.
• Stroman acknowledged the "racial undertones" of Brenly's comment on Twitter.

New York Mets pitcher Marcus Stroman wore a durag in Tuesday night's game against the Arizona Diamondbacks, and Diamondbacks TV announcer Bob Brenly made a sarcastic joke about it during the game's broadcast.

"I'm pretty sure that's the same durag that Tom Seaver used to wear when he pitched for the Mets," Brenly said.

Seaver was a white pitcher who played for the Mets from 1967 to '77. He never wore a durag.

Brenly's comment ignited a wave of backlash across social media from those who said it was laced with insensitive racial undertones.

Those who criticized Brenly included prominent MLB reporters, such as Chelsea Janes of The Washington Post, Chris Williamson of SNY, and Molly Knight of The Athletic.

-Molly Knight (@molly_knight) June 2, 2021

Stroman retweeted responses from those who spoke out on his behalf, and offered his appreciation to those who supported him publicly.

The pitcher then chimed in with his own tweet on the situation: "Onward and upward ... through all adversity and racist undertones. The climb continues through all!"

-Marcus Stroman (@STR0) June 2, 2021

Stroman even used the incident as an opportunity to promote his own line of durags, from his apparel brand HDMH Apparel.

-Marcus Stroman (@STR0) June 2, 2021

Luis Rojas, the manager for the Mets, expressed his disappointment in Brenly during the postgame press conference after the team's 6-5 loss to Arizona.

"There is no room for a comment like that," Rojas said. "Completely inappropriate. I was very disappointed when I heard it. If it was like a joke or something, I didn't get it, and I know a lot of people didn't get it.

"When you are on a platform in this game and you have a chance to inform and educate throughout the game or after the game, you just have so many opportunities to keep the audience active and fill them with baseball knowledge and not the case there."

Brenly released a statement through the Diamondbacks apologizing for his comments.

"During last night's game, I made a poor attempt at humor that was insensitive and wrong," Brenly wrote. "I apologize to Marcus Stroman and have reached out directly to share those thoughts. I have had several conversations with the D-backs and we agree that seeking sensitivity training is an important step so that I can continue to learn from my mistakes in order to be better in the future."

No official announcement has been made regarding discipline for Brenly, but his statement suggested that he may undergo sensitivity training.