A grown Ohio man who snatched a home run ball from an 11-year-old girl at a Cleveland Guardians game has admitted it was a 'bad decision' after facing intense online backlash.
Max Quinn was caught on live television wrestling the baseball from the girl, named Evelyn, during the Guardians' game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Progressive Field on Monday. The now-viral video showed Quinn and the girl both rushing for the ball after Daniel Schneeman hit a two-run homer. The ball landed near Evelyn, but Quinn swooped in and snatched it away, raising it over his head.
Quinn, a local business owner, told WJW two days later: 'I'm so utterly sorry for everything that's transpired... It was a heat-of-the-moment thing. I made a bad decision; a lot of bad decisions. I'm paying for it online.' He claimed he did not know it was a little girl and had no malicious intent.
Evelyn became emotional after the incident, but a reporter later gave her another baseball. Her brother approached Quinn to ask for the ball, but he refused. Quinn later returned the ball to Evelyn several innings later, saying he realised he would not be able to sleep if he did not give it back.
Social media users identified Quinn as the owner of Uncover Vintage in Lakewood, and the store's Google page was flooded with one-star reviews, though most were removed by Thursday. Quinn said the internet is a 'very mean, scary place' and that people have said 'really mean things'.
Evelyn and her family have forgiven Quinn. In a video message, Evelyn said: 'Hi Max, thanks for giving us the ball back. We forgive you for it. We know the Internet has been going wild over this. We hope they forgive you.' Her mother said the family has 'no ill feelings' and hopes people will stop bothering him.
