LGBTQ advocate Liam Hendriks expresses support for Jarren Duran

Recently, Boston Red Sox young star outfielder Jarren Duran has come under fire for a homobphobic comment that he made that was caught on a hot mic during Boston's 10-2 loss at the hands of the Houston Astros.

Duran was caught responding to a fan that was heckling him by muttering "Shut up..." followed by an anti-gay slur. If you haven't seen the incident that has amassed millions of views, you can do so below.

Warning, the language in the video contains adult language and an anti-gay slur.

In response to this, Duran and the Red Sox both issued apologies after the game. The Red Sox also announced that they would be suspending Duran for two games due to his use of hate speech during the game.

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Jarren Duran receives support from teammate, LGBTQ advocate Liam Hendriks

Some of those that have stood up in support of Duran are some bigger LGBTQ advocates around sports. These supporters aren't backing up his speech, but rather echoing that it's not a reflection of who Duran is as a person.

Red Sox reliever Liam Hendriks, who has been a public LGBTQ advocate for nearly his entire time in the spotlight, quickly came to support his teammate.

“This is what happens in anger,” Hendriks told the Boston Globe. “But I know Jarren. I’ve had conversations with him plenty of times about the LGBT community and he’s been nothing but supportive.

“I know the word that came out was derogatory but it had nothing to do with that community, had nothing to do with trying to put someone down who’s in that community. I know where his heart’s at and that’s something that I value more than anything.”

Hendriks has a track record for being supportive of the LGBTQ community and he didn't have to come to his teammate's aid here. He still decided to do so because he knows Duran as a person and understands that the young outfielder will learn and grow from this.

Tiffany Williams is an openly transgender sports reporter for NewsTalk New England among others. Williams voiced support for Duran in a post as well.

There is no doubt that what Duran said was completely wrong, hurtful and derogatory. But many have echoed that it isn't indicative of the human being that the young man is. Second chances are necessary in life and Duran deserves a chance to prove that he isn't the hateful person that this five-word sentence would indicate that he is.