DC United fires trainer over ‘white power hand gesture’ in All-Star photo as two players are banned amid MLS probe

D.C. United fired head athletic trainer Reade Whitney on Friday night after the MLS team said he made a discriminatory hand gesture in a photo that was posted on social media a day earlier. 

The team did not name Whitney in its statement announcing his dismissal but said its athletic trainer had been fired effective immediately. Whitney held that position.

‘There is no place for racism, homophobia, misogyny, or discrimination of any kind in our sport and world and D.C. United do not tolerate any acts of this nature,’ the statement said.

MLS All-Stars took part in a photo shoot on Tuesday on the National Mall, where team members and staff posed for photos. It was there that Whitney allegedly flashed a hand gesture that has been adopted by white supremacists in recent years, according to the Washington Post. The hand signal has traditionally been used to signal ‘OK,’ but the practice of touching a thumb and index finger together while outstretching the other three digits was listed as a hate symbol by the Anti-Defamation league in 2019. 

The team and Major League Soccer also said late Friday that two players, Taxi Fountas and Nigel Robertha, have been placed on paid administrative leave while MLS investigates possible violations of league policy. There was no indication whether the investigation had anything to do with the circumstances of Whitney’s dismissal.

D.C. United informed the league about the two players’ possible violation of league policy, and MLS began an investigation. The players will be away from the team during that review.

‘Placement on paid administrative leave is not a disciplinary measure,’ the MLS statement said.

Last year, the league investigated an allegation that Fountas used racially abusive language toward Miami defender Aimé Mabika during a match. 

The league said it found the allegation credible but could not find corroborating evidence, and Fountas was not disciplined.