You are the company you keep. At least, it appears that’s what the Los Angeles Galaxy strongly believe.
The MLS club released Aleksandar Katai on Friday, two days after his wife, Tea Katai, posted a string of appallingly racist and violent Instagram stories.
The since-deleted posts, which went up Wednesday, referred to protesters as “disgusting cattle” — calling for people to kill them — and belittled the Black Lives Matter movement with prejudice comments like “Black Nikes Matter.”
The team released a statement that night, saying it requested Tea Katai to take down her posts, but since have taken it a step further. And now, her husband is out of a job because of her intolerance.
The Serbian midfielder only had been with the Galaxy since December, appearing in a pair of games after two years with the Chicago Fire. He released a statement Thursday condemning his wife’s vile comments.
“The posts made by my wife, Tea Katai, on her social media platforms were unacceptable. These views are not ones that I share and are not tolerated in my family,” Katai said.
Another part of his statement read, “This is a mistake from my family and I take full responsibility. I will ensure that my family and I take the necessary actions to learn, understand, listen and support the black community. I understand that it will take time to earn back the support of the people of Los Angeles. I am committed to putting in the necessary work to learn from these mistakes and be a better ally and advocate for equality going forward.”
The damage control didn’t quite work out for the Katai family, and the simple social media message the Galaxy posted said they’d mutually parted ways with their new player.
The LA Galaxy have parted ways with Aleksandar Katai. pic.twitter.com/mcu0fTreC8
— LA Galaxy (@LAGalaxy) June 5, 2020
