Christenson landed in hot water after being filmed raising his hand to the sky during a post-game celebration, which resembled a Nazi salute. Footage of the incident shows him making the gesture at player Liam Hendriks following the team's 6-4 win over the Texas Rangers on Thursday.

Hendriks pushed Christenson's arm down and bumped it, after which the coach turned around and briefly made the same salute again.

"I made a mistake and will not deny it," Christenson said in a statement after facing a backlash on social media. His explanation is that he and the team have been using elbow bumps as a precaution against Covid-19 and that is what he was actually doing on the video.

My gesture unintentionally resulted in a racist and horrible salute that I do not believe in. What I did is unacceptable and I deeply apologize.

The A's said they "do not support or condone this gesture or the racist sentiment behind it," and expressed deep sorrow for the incident.

If you like this story, share it with a friend!