( CNN ) -- Ozzie Guillen 's remarks on Fidel Castro may be constitutionally protected , but he has learned there is nothing shielding him from the ire of Miami 's large Cuban community . His comment to Time magazine that he loves Fidel Castro and later comment that he `` respects '' him rankled the Cuban-American community in Miami , home to the baseball team Guillen manages , the Marlins . The team 's stadium is located in the area of the city known as Little Havana . The reaction by the team was swift -- a five-game suspension . Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig supported the move . `` Mr. Guillen 's remarks , which were offensive to an important part of the Miami community and others throughout the world , have no place in our game , '' he said Tuesday . And the reaction by some in the Cuban-American community has been even stronger . According to local media , one anti-Castro organization , Vigilia Mambisa , called for a boycott of the Marlins and began picketing the baseball stadium Tuesday . The fallout may cost Guillen the trust of Miami fans . `` There is absolutely nothing not protected by the First Amendment that he said , '' Florida International University Professor Howard M. Wasserman said . It was an example of political speech , pure and simple . But free speech can have is consequences , as Guillen is learning . `` The problem is , he 's in Miami , '' Wasserman said . Miami 's Cuban community is made up of a large number of exiles who fled the Castro regime and who strongly lobby in support of the U.S. embargo against Cuba and other anti-Castro measures . Cuba 's current president is Fidel 's brother , Raul Castro . In another city , Guillen 's comments may not have been as controversial , but in Miami , there is a unique sensitivity to Castro , Wasserman said . `` I think it 's kind of silly , but it 's where he happens to be , '' he said . If the government had suspended an public employee for political speech , it would be illegal , he said . But the Marlins , as a private entity , can mete out punishment as they see fit , especially when it offends a segment of their fan base . The Marlins have a need and interest to protect their market , and , in fact , are using their own free speech interest in handing down the suspension , the law professor said . Marlins fans on social media came out on both sides of the debate . Guillen apologized Tuesday in Spanish at a news conference , saying his words were misconstrued and that he finds Castro 's human rights record odious . But for Cuban and Cuban-American fans , the damage was done . Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald eloquently summed up the emotions that Guillen 's comments stirred . `` There are people in South Florida who are angry with Guillen because he struck an emotional and painful nerve . I am unapologetically one of those people because the communist dictator Guillen apparently loves broke my family , '' he wrote in a column . Salguero said he would prefer to see an indefinite suspension for the manager . Other Marlins fans , even if they disagreed with Guillen 's remarks , did n't like the way the suspension was handled . Frank Ramirez , a longtime fan , said that Miami `` is the last place you want to say something like that . '' Still , he drew a distinction between the ball club suspending Guillen for what he said , rather than acting in response to fan outcries . To suspend Guillen for the content of what he said -- no matter how wrongheaded -- comes across as a violation of his right to free speech , Ramirez said . But if the club instead reacted to business interests such as fear of a boycott or financial loss , then a punitive action is justified . And the action that fans clamor for , Ramirez said , might be more stringent that the five-game suspension . `` I do n't think Marlins fans will forgive him for this , '' he said .
Castro comments are protected by the First Amendment . But there is a fallout from his remarks about Ozzie Guillen 's . In U.S. , Castro is a very sensitive topic .