Fan Who Told Jarren Duran to Kill Himself Implicates T.C. Bear in Stadium Steroid Ring
The man identified as Duran's heckler at Target Field says he was 'absolutely roided up' at the time but accepts full responsibility. He also said he got them from the bear.
MINNEAPOLIS, MN — Sad Mascots learned through reporting by Cody Ozuna at The Unathletic that following Tuesday night’s 6-0 Twins victory over the Boston Red Sox at Target Field, Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran flipped off a fan seated near the field who, Duran told reporters postgame, had told him to “kill himself.” The fan had been specifically targeting Duran’s publicly disclosed mental health history. Neither the fan nor Duran were removed from the game. The Twins organization and MLB both announced investigations.
As of Wednesday afternoon, Hennepin County law enforcement, working in coordination with MLB Security, had identified and located the man.
He is Askmeandi Wilfahrt, 38, of Burnsville, Minnesota.
Wilfahrt, reached by phone, stated that he was “absolutely roided up” at the time of the incident but accepted full and personal responsibility for his behavior.
“That was all me,” Wilfahrt said. “I want to formally apologize to Jarren Duran, to the Red Sox organization, and to anyone who had to hear that. What I said was wrong. The substances are not an excuse.”
When asked to elaborate on the substances, Wilfahrt paused.
“I got them from the bear,” he said.
The Investigation
MLB investigators and Target Field security arrived at approximately 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, acting on Wilfahrt’s statement. T.C. Bear was located in the Twins’ private weight room in the lower level of the stadium.
He was mid-session.
The Twins had entered the day at 11-7, first place in the American League Central — the surprise team of baseball’s first two weeks, with multiple players quietly posting career-best numbers. T.C. Bear, it appears, intended to keep it that way.
According to the incident report, T.C. Bear was on his 30th consecutive set of a 100-repetition bench press at the time of apprehension, a bar loaded to a weight that responding personnel described in their written summary as “a lot.” He completed his final repetition before acknowledging investigators. He was cooperative.
T.C. Bear denied any knowledge of the allegations. He denied distributing performance-enhancing substances to fans, to stadium personnel, or to any individual in or around Target Field. He denied using performance-enhancing substances himself.
He tested positive for performance-enhancing substances.
The Statement
T.C. Bear’s attorney arrived at Target Field at approximately 5:40 p.m. Following a brief private consultation in the equipment corridor, T.C. Bear returned to questioning.
When asked why he needed to bench press 3,000 repetitions midweek in April, T.C. Bear said he was preparing for the upcoming series.
“The Reds,” he clarified.
On questions regarding the identity of his supplier, he invoked his Fifth Amendment right to remain silent.
On questions regarding current performance-enhancing drug use within the Minnesota Twins organization at large, T.C. Bear invoked his Fifth Amendment right to remain silent.
The character of Askmeandi Wilfahrt is entirely fictional. Any resemblance to any real person named Wilfahrt — particularly any individual who may have performed professionally as a large bear mascot in the greater Minneapolis area for an extended period before departing in 2019 following what sources at the time described as creative differences regarding the long-term artistic direction of said bear — is purely coincidental. Sad Mascots wishes that individual well and has significant respect for his body of work.
