Tigers place Delmon Young on restricted list

Detroit Tigers' Delmon Young rounds first base after hitting a home run off New York Yankees pitcher Ivan Nova in the first inning during Game 5 of baseball's American League division series, Oct. 6, 2011, at Yankee Stadium in New York. / AP Photo/Bill Kostroun

(AP) NEW YORK - The Detroit Tigers have placed outfielder Delmon Young on the restricted list Saturday and said he would be evaluated under baseball's employee assistance program following his arrest on a hate crime harassment charge for an encounter at his hotel during which police say he yelled anti-Semitic epithets.

Tigers general manager Dave Dombrowski said that he expects Young to return to the lineup if he is cleared by the evaluation. That could happen as soon as Monday, he said.

Dombrowski said that Young was "extremely remorseful, extremely apologetic" about the events of early Friday morning. Around 2:30 a.m., Young shouted anti-Semitic epithets after a group of about four tourists were approached by a panhandler wearing a yarmulke and a Star of David around his neck, according to police.

Detroit Tigers' Young apologizes after arrest

[anduhavetoaskwhy]

Nobody wants to say it so I will: He's just another spook with the that "I can do whatever I want because I'm black and if you try to punish me I'll scream racism" attitude.

[honestabe8]

Gosh, you seem awfully proud of your bigotry.

[moshe05]

you're allowed to be racist. but certain motivations can be considered as 'aggravating circumstances.' there are many other traditional aggravating circumstances, too. such as paying someone to commit a crime, use of a deadly weapon, or if a crime was committed during the commission of another crime. the crime is in the assault. the aggravating circumstances comes out in the sentencing.

[Rafterman11]

audemus, billpl-2009,

They aren't criminalizing thought, they are criminalizing harassment, where hate was the primary motivator. You can hate under the Constitution, you just can do something else criminal while hating.

[billpl-2009]

so if he harassed them because they were smokers...that would be OK

It's OK to hate smokers

[audemus]

In a very real sense, hate crime legislation criminalizes thought.

[billpl-2009]

I don't see anywhere in the Constitution that says people aren't allowed to hate