The mascot for the St. Louis Cardinals baseball team sparked a social-media firestorm after a photograph of him holding a political message went viral on Twitter.
The message?
"Police Lives Matter," as posted on a sign a couple gave the mascot, the Fredbird, to hold while snapping a quick photo. Breitbart reported Fredbird didn't know what the sign said – that the mascot was simply handed the sign and didn't read it before the picture was snapped.
TRENDING: Greatest Show on Earth: The Hur report hearing
Team officials apologized shortly after the photo made the social-media rounds.
"A man and a woman stopped Fredbird to request a quick photograph," said vice president of communications for the Cardinals, Ron Watermon, Breitbart reported. "While the man was taking the picture, the woman standing next to Fredbird asked him to hold up the sign. Fredbird was unaware of the content of the sign."
The St. Louis Police Officers Associations' Facebook page picked up and posted the photo, too.