FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas catcher Michael Turner has signed an endorsement deal with a rental company less than two weeks after he was called a “rental player” by an Arkansas sports talk radio host.
The announcement of Turner’s endorsement with Northwest Arkansas-based Castle Rental and Pawn referred to him as the “official D-1 ‘Rental’ Baseball Player of the year.” It was posted to Turner's Twitter account with a photo of Turner wearing a shirt and hat that included the company's logos, and holding a baseball bat.
Shortly following Arkansas’ 7-5 loss to Florida at the SEC Tournament on May 27, ESPN Arkansas sports talk radio host Derek Ruscin called Turner a rental player, in reference to his transfer from Kent State before the season.
“You’re not a Razorback, you’ve been here one — you’re a rental player and you’ve sucked,” Ruscin said. “So thanks for nothing.”
Ruscin also referred to Turner as a “loser,” a “disgrace” and another derogatory term. He has since apologized in a tweet and in his return to the airwaves Monday. He was temporarily taken off the air by his employer.
“I want to tell Michael Turner that I am sorry for the words I used about him on this program 10 days ago,” Ruscin said Monday. “I’m sorry. I had an opinion and it was way over the line. I was wrong and I’m sorry about that. And I take full responsibility for all of this that has happened. This is all my fault and that’s been one of the difficult things about this, is that there is no one else to pass the buck off to here. This is all my fault and I’m sorry.”
Turner is Arkansas’ second-leading hitter this season with a .310 average. He also ranks in the top three on the team in most statistical categories, including RBI (48), total bases (114), doubles (15), hits (70), slugging percentage (.504) and OPS (.886).
On Monday, Turner was named most outstanding player of the NCAA Stillwater Regional after he went 8 for 18 with 11 RBI and 5 runs scored on offense, and threw out 3 base runners and caught every pitch of 4 games. Turner was also among 16 semifinalists for the Buster Posey Award for college baseball’s best catcher.