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In October 2008, former Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Jeff Kent's donation to an anti-gay marriage campaign received heavy backlash from the LGBT community. He gave $15,000 to the Yes on 8 campaign, which sought to amend the California state constitution to ban same-sex marriage.
Jeff's move shocked and dismayed many as Kent was seen as a role model. A gay Dodgers fan found it difficult to accept Jeff's stance against gay marriage and blamed Kent, saying:
"Your donation is a direct slap in the face to the thousands of LGBT Dodgers fans who support you each season. I am deeply saddened that you have chosen to spend so much money to make sure that my family will never enjoy equality."
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Four months after this controversial episode, Jeff Kent announced his retirement from baseball on January 22, 2009, while playing with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
"Kent calls it a career after 17 years in baseball: LOS ANGELES." - Boston Herald
Previously, he played with Toronto Blue Jays (1992), New York Mets (1992–1996), Cleveland Guardians (1996), San Francisco Giants (1997–2002), and Houston Astros (2003–2004).
Jeff Kent's 2023 Hall Of Fame exclusion
In the 2023 Hall Of Fame ballot, Jeff Kent failed to reach the 75% benchmark needed to be elected, receiving only 46.5% of the vote from the Baseball Writers' Association of America.
Here's what he had to say about not getting elected into the Hall of Fame:
"Baseball is losing a couple generations of great players that were the best in their era because a couple non-voting stat folks keep comparing those players to players already voted in from generations past and are influencing the votes."
"Jeff Kent calls Baseball Hall of Fame voting an 'embarrassment' after falling off the ballot." - USA Today
As this was his last chance on the ballot, his eventual Hall of Fame status will be determined by the Contemporary Baseball Era Players Committee at a later date.
