Blue Jays reliever Erik Swanson defends taking his son hunting after online backlash
"Next time you go to the grocery store or restaurant and order something, remember that it had to come from somewhere."
With the offseason in full swing for the Toronto Blue Jays, this should be a time for fans to unwind, relax, and take their minds away from the team for a little bit.
Instead, some have been up in arms over a recent social media post from reliever Erik Swanson, who shared an image of him and one of his sons after they successfully hunted a large group of Canadian geese over the weekend in Roseau, Minnesota.
Swanson’s post garnered waves of attention after blogTO detailed the event, mainly because it displayed his young child standing in front of a long row of deceased birds.
It wasn’t long before the 30-year-old hurler caught wind of this development, prompting Swanson to defend himself on social platform X, formerly Twitter.
"I am an avid hunter/fisherman and I will always be. For the people who are asking me why I have my son with me, I am teaching him a very important life lesson… the beef, venison, poultry, fish, fruits and vegetables all come from somewhere, not just the grocery store," Swanson wrote.
He added:
"Now when he hunts and he harvests his own food, he knows exactly where his food is coming from and what is in it. Next time you go to the grocery store or restaurant and order something, remember that it had to come from somewhere. Know what you are eating! Safe hunting to all!"
Swanson capped his post with a footnote for those wondering if he was hunting illegally, saying he was with a group of seven hunters who were each allowed to procure five geese per day, according to the state of Minnesota, putting them under the legal limit.
The Blue Jays' season was also put to rest in Minnesota this month, with the club falling 2-0 to the Twins in the AL wild-card series. It saw them swept out of the postseason for the third time in four years.
That ending placed a sour note on Swanson’s inaugural campaign north of the border, which included a 2.97 ERA with 75 strikeouts over 66.2 innings. He also appeared in both playoff games, allowing seven hits and three walks in 1.1 innings.
The Blue Jays acquired Swanson and prospect Adam Macko in a blockbuster trade with the Seattle Mariners last offseason, sending All-Star outfielder Teoscar Hernández in return.
