MLB Umpire Apologizes For Tweet Referencing Assault Rifle and Civil War

A longtime Major League Baseball umpire who created an uproar with a tweet referencing an assault weapon and 'cival war' has apologized for sending the highly-politicized post.

Rob Drake re-opened his Twitter account Thursday, posting several messages apologizing for his tweet and offered his condolences to to victims of gun violence and apologized to his fellow umpires and his family.

In his apology, Drake acknowledged he'd gone too far.

"I want to personally apologize to everyone that my words made feel less safe," Umpire Robert Drake said in a statement obtained by ESPN. "I also acknowledge and apologize for the controversy this has brought to Major League Baseball, my fellow umpires, and my family.

"I never intended to diminish the threat of violence from assault weapons, or violence of any kind,” he said. "I know that I cannot unsay the words, but please accept my apologies."

The MLB umpire caused controversy for MLB officials on Tuesday after he posted, and then deleted, a tweet that described his intentions to purchase an AR-15 if Democrats continued with their impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump.

"I will be buying an AR-15 tomorrow, because if you impeach MY PRESIDENT this way, YOU WILL HAVE ANOTHER CIVAL WAR!!! #MAGA2020," Drake wrote on Twitter.

Drake deleted the post and deactivated his Twitter account after his post earlier this week.

“I’m going to learn from this. Once I read what I had tweeted I realized the violence in those words and have since deleted it,” Drake added.

Drake has worked for Major League Baseball since 2010 and is not working the 2019 World Series despite having experience in the postseason between 2012 and 2015.

"Rob is a passionate individual and an outstanding umpire. He chose the wrong way to convey his opinion about our great country," the Umpires' Association said on Wednesday. "His posting does not represent the view of the MLBUA or reflect those of the umpires we represent."

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