One day after he went on a lengthy Twitter rant, the Chicago Cubs have suspended Ian Stewart indefinitely.
Stewart was a first-round pick in the 2003 MLB draft. In his Monday tweet rampage, the baseball player lamented being relegated to the minor leagues, criticized Cubs manager Dale Sveum and hinted that the team should release him from his contract -- in which case they'd still be obligated to pay his salary.
When a fan suggested that he simply quit, Stewart replied with this gem:
@believesumner why would I quit? I'm making 2 mill in AAA like u would give that up by quitting— BeefStew2 (@IAN_STEWART_2sc) June 11, 2013
The Cubs announced on Tuesday that Stewart had been suspended from the organization, and didn't put a timetable on his return.
Stewart's agent released a statement on Tuesday in which he, too, said the Cubs should simply release Stewart. According to the Chicago Tribune, Stewart's camp and the Cubs are working to reach a settlement in which he would be allowed to become a free agent, but still keep some portion of his salary.
Stewart also apologized -- on Twitter, naturally -- although he appeared to have deleted his account Tuesday evening.
Stewart's rant was clearly out of line, and has no place in a pro-sports organization, but whether or not he deserved to be suspended is a tougher question. On one hand, his public anger is counterproductive to the Cubs, embarrassing for the club and sets a terrible example for younger teammates. On the other, however, nothing he said was obscene or all that over the top.
Does Stewart deserve his punishment? Give us your take in the comments.