Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports
The longtime voice of Giants spring training baseball at Scottsdale Stadium will not return after he was revealed to hold a troll account through which he harassed an Arizona state senator.
Josh Miller, who had been the public address announcer at Giants spring games since 2003, had sent regular, incendiary messages from an anonymous Twitter account called “ZonaJosh” toward Sen. Michelle Ugenti-Rita, who uncovered Miller’s identity and posted about it, leading to his confession. The Phoenix New Times exposed the troubling story.
“After learning of this issue he will no longer be working for us,” the Giants said in a statement Friday.
For his part, Miller said he has resigned and is stepping away.
“I am forever grateful to the Giants for allowing me to be a part of an incredible organization for the last 18 spring training seasons,” he wrote on Twitter from his own account, which he said he would soon deactivate. “There are many people I will miss working with. It’s been an honor and a pleasure to return to Scottsdale Stadium each spring.
“… I want everyone to know how truly remorseful I am for my actions, and I hope that I can earn your forgiveness.”
As the New Times reported, the tweet that revealed “ZonaJosh”‘s identity came on Jan. 30.
“You prove that you are a complete waste of human flesh with no redeeming valuea [sic] ever time you tweet,” the anonymous account wrote. “Resign you dumb nazi whore.”
Ugenti-Rita responded by calling him a “#GutlessCoward,” and a follower messaged her about suspicions concerning Miller. Ugenta-Rita did her own investigating and found similarities between the troll account and Miller’s and called him out on Twitter.
After initially denying the link and then deleting the alternate account, Miller apologized publicly.
“I am sorry for my actions and I realize that while I didn’t take these posts seriously my comments were indeed hurtful,” he wrote Wednesday.
Miller’s offensive messages, which included calling her a “whore” and “twat,” dated back to November.
To the New Times, he cited Ugenti-Rita’s policies as the source of his anger, particularly her support for children to return to schools in an Arizona that has been particularly hard-hit by the coronavirus.
“This is strictly about her policies, which I thought put a risk to my family and the community,” he told the outlet.
