BY NATASHA BARSOTTI — Major League Soccer (MLS) has suspended a Seattle Sounders player for three games after he used a homophobic slur against another player on the opposing Real Salt Lake team during a Nov 8 match, Pink News reports. 
Defender Marc Burch, who will miss the rest of the season, was also fined an undisclosed sum and will have to undergo diversity and sensitivity training.
“I apologize for my horrific choice of words last night during our match,” Burch says in a Nov 9 apology. “This is something that is inconsistent with my family values, and because of that I am both disappointed and embarrassed by my level of poor judgment.
“I take seriously my role as a leader in the community and this is completely regrettable and unacceptable,” he adds. “Character matters, and I hope through hard work on and off the field to begin earning your respect and trust again.”
MLS commissioner Don Garber says the league “has a zero-tolerance policy in response to this type of behaviour from its players or staff.”
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