Cade Cavalli apology triggers unexpected backlash from both sides

Last week, the 27-year-old Washington Nationals starting pitcher, Cade Cavalli, became the story on social media (and you almost never want to be the story on social media) after his celebratory "sit down, boy!" statement to Boston Red Sox catcher Wilson Contreras after striking him out caused a brawl between the two teams.

Contreras threw a helmet at Cavalli that hit one of his Nationals teammates, and the scuffle sullied what was Cavalli's best pitching performance of his young career.

Contreras, who is Venezuelan, admitted he did not understand the racial undertones of the statement. And unless you live in a certain part of the country, or are of a certain age, there are plenty of Americans who don't understand it either.

Southerners use the term "boy" when talking to grown men as a sign of disrespect. Even though that disrespect isn't only directed at African Americans, it is a go-to slur 'round those parts as a way of dehumanizing the descendants of slaves. It is a term of domination and intimidation, especially when used in that context.

Cavalli, who was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, for his part, says he wasn't using the word in that context. He was using it as a sign of disrespect, obviously, but there were no racial underpinnings to it.

And I believe him.

Obviously, as a fan of the team, I am not the most unbiased source on this. But his apology last week seemed sincere.

Which was surprising, because if there's one thing that's completely died in the age of social media outrage, it's the sincere apology.

Cade Cavalli makes amends for Wilson Contreras 'boy' comment

Cade Cavalli originally put out a statement that was a little confusing if you don't understand the context.

"My teammates know me, my family knows me, this organization knows me. I couldn't sleep because of it. It hurt my heart, knowing that if there's a 13-year-old Black kid in D.C. that sees that -- that looked up to me and thinks that he perceived it in a way that wasn't intended the way that it came out, and then he's not looking up to me anymore -- that hurts my heart," Cavalli said.

That part of his apology was directed to a hypothetical black kid in Washington D.C. who might be a fan of his and not to Contreras.

While the apology clearly shows he understood the undertones of what he said and how it could be taken, I thought it was a bit weird that he brought up that hypothetical fan because, unlike most Major League Baseball players, Cavalli has three black teammates on his squad right now.

African Americans make up just 6.8% of players in MLB, but they make up 33% of the Nationals starting lineup. All-Stars James Wood and CJ Abrams, along with Daylen Lile, are all black.

Maybe it's because he knows that his teammates know who he is and know that he is not a racist. Or maybe he already apologized to them privately. But the fact that his mind immediately went to possibly offending a black kid who is a fan of his, to me, really shows that he sincerely thought about the consequences of what he said.

If that apology wasn't enough, the next one really confirmed his contriteness.

"It's been hard to sleep. I never in a million years thought I'd be in this situation," a shaky-voiced Cavalli told a gaggle of reporters. "The character of this clubhouse is full of integrity. It's full of love. And that's what we want to spread to everyone that walks in here."

He went on to say he has a lot of respect for Contreras and that he doesn't hold a grudge and that he's "praying over him and hopes that he is doing okay."

Unfortunately for Cavalli, the cardinal sin (maybe the only sin) among the outrage crowd is contrition. So now that social media crowd is on his back.

Meanwhile, others questioned the sincerity of his apology. And given his Southern twang and facial hair that made him look like Colonel Sanders, they probably never will be on his side either.

A decent person apologizes after making a mistake, and Cavalli has done that, so in my book, he is a decent person. Unfortunately, however, being a decent person in the age of outrage is actually a liability. Now he gets to hear it from both sides.

Cavalli was suspended for seven games for his part in the brawl. He and the team are appealing that decision.

Related: Cade Cavalli spins gem for the Nats after sparking brawl against the Red Sox

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This story was originally published July 6, 2026 at 8:33 AM.