Yunel Escobar has issued an apology for one of the stranger scandals we've seen recently in the world of sports.

The Toronto Blue Jays shortstop donned eye black for his team's game against the Boston Red Sox on Saturday, scribbling Spanish words across the outside that translate roughly to "faggot."

The ball player was suspended three games for the action.

"I feel bad," he told the media this afternoon in response to the incident. "I’m leaving my team for something I didn’t intend to do. I have nothing against the gay community and honestly I’m sorry... It was just a joke and it wasn’t directed to anyone in particular...

"It's just something that's been said around amongst Latinos. It's not something that's meant to be offensive. For us, it didn't have the significance to the way it's being interpreted right now. It's a word used often within teams. ... I agree with the suspension and don't have any problem with it."

Escobar, who is hitting only .251 this season, will forfeit about $92,000 as a result of the suspension. A portion of those funds will go to GLAAD.