Chicago Cubs star Pete Crow-Armstrong apologized for his behavior after an interaction between him and a female Chicago White Sox fan went viral.
“I just regret my alternative of words essentially the most and who that affects in my life. Directly and not directly,” Crow-Armstrong, 24, told reporters on Monday, May 18. “I don’t think that any of the ladies in my life would ever think that I’d use those sorts of words repeatedly. Especially referring to them. So, I used to be just bummed out in regards to the word alternative and that a bunch of little kids find their way onto social media and see that as well.”
Throughout the Cubs’ road game against the White Sox on Sunday, May 17, Crow-Armstrong was caught using sexually-explicit language and calling a female fan a “bitch” after he nearly made a spectacular catch within the outfield, which ultimately led to a two-run double for the Sox.
“I’ve gotten a number of support from the those who know me,” Crow-Armstrong continued. “I feel most of them know that’s something that got here out specifically related to baseball and the situation at hand. That’s not something I pride myself on, calling people names like that.”
Crow-Armstong — who has turn into a superstar in Chicago and was chosen to his first All-Star Game last season — acknowledged he has to maintain his emotions in check, but maintained that he’s not going to lose his notorious edge.
“I don’t wish to let that deter me from the competitiveness that I feel out on the sphere,” he said. “I feel channeling it another way would probably be my next task. That’s something I should pay attention to in any respect times, that there will probably be cameras on me. I’m not at all times going to let stuff like that fly either. It’s nearly being a bit more respectful and possibly killing anyone with kindness as a substitute of matching their level of intent.”
Cubs manager Craig Counsell said he spoke to Crow-Armstrong on Monday morning in regards to the interaction.
“Pete made a mistake together with his alternative of words,” Counsell, 55, told reporters. “He’s aware of that, and that’s it. He made a mistake, and also you gotta move on from it. It’s a reality of this job. It happens, fan interactions occur. You would like to try to keep them positive even after they’re not.”
Counsell added, “Sometimes, when it’s a extremely emotional situation, it’s difficult. Nevertheless it’s still a requirement of the job.”
Crow-Armstong has been dating his girlfriend, Hailey Lavelle, because the two met at Vanessa Hudgens and Cole Tucker’s wedding in December 2023.
Cole, 29, played six seasons within the majors from 2019 to 2024. In a GQ profile published in July 2025, Crow-Armstrong called Cole’s younger brother, Carson, certainly one of his “best friends.”