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| Fans react as Baltimore Orioles' Adam Jones walks to the dug out before a baseball game against the Boston Red Sox, Tuesday, May 2, 2017, in Boston. |
BOSTON
(AP) -- Orioles outfielder Adam Jones said Tuesday that racial taunts
that prompted immediate condemnation around baseball and Boston have no
place in today's game but speak to larger racial issues in the United
States.
"I thought we'd moved past this a long
time ago," said Jones, who said he heard fans call him the N-word on
Monday night and had a bag of peanuts thrown in his direction.
"With
what's going on in the real world, things like this, people are
outraged and are speaking up at an alarming rate," he said.
Jones
received a personal apology from Red Sox team president Sam Kennedy on
behalf of the club. When he stepped up for his first at-bat during
Tuesday night's game, he was also given an extended applause from the
Fenway crowd, with Red Sox pitcher Chris Sale stepping off the mound to
allow the applause to continue.
The All-Star said he felt "it was just the right time" to speak out.
Kennedy
said 34 people were ejected for various reasons Monday night and
reiterated the team's "zero tolerance" policy for such incidents. He
also said there would be extra security around the outfield Tuesday
night.
"I'm a grown man with a family to
raise. So I'm not just gonna let nobody sit there and berate me," Jones
said. "Where I come from if you say things like that, you put on the
gloves and you go after it. Obviously in the real world you can't do
that, especially in my field."
Kennedy said
that 10-15 people are usually ejected from Fenway any given night,
calling the 34 ejected Monday usually high. Along with the fan ejected
for throwing the peanuts, a second fan was ejected for using foul
language toward a player, though the team didn't know whether the fan
used the bad language toward Jones.
Kennedy
and manager John Farrell separately met with Red Sox players on Tuesday
and said the players said they'd experienced similar incidents in both
Fenway and around the league.
"I think one person hears an inappropriate remark or slur, that's one person too many," Kennedy said.
Boston's
professional teams - like the city's neighborhoods - had different
reactions to the civil rights movement and the integration of
professional sports.
While the Celtics and
Bruins broke barriers in pro basketball and hockey, the Red Sox were the
last Major League Baseball team to field a black player.
In
the 1980s, the Red Sox also dealt with an incident during spring
training in Florida in which an Elks Lodge was giving passes to only
white players.
It also wasn't until last
season that the New England Patriots started a black quarterback for the
first time in its history. Rookie Jacoby Brissett started two games
with Tom Brady suspended as part of his "Deflategate" punishment and
backup Jimmy Garoppolo injured.
"It's changed a
lot over many years, but it sure takes a long time to change
everything," said Steve McHugh, who is white and said he's been a Red
Sox fan since he moved to the Boston area in 1977.
Michael Towns, 39, has been a casual fan of the Red Sox since attending the University of Rhode Island.
"It's
sad that even today such attitudes exist," said Towns, who is black.
"We shouldn't dwell on it, but it's important to acknowledge it."
Outrage and condemnation flowed from around Major League Baseball on Tuesday.
"It's
nothing new to any of us," Atlanta Braves outfielder Matt Kemp said.
"He let it be known that's what we go through. I mean, it's pretty much
normal, especially in some of these different cities. I'm not going to
name all the cities, but there's some pretty tough cities where people
say some pretty ruthless things. There's no filters or nobody holding
anybody accountable for some of the things these fans do."
"You get called names, N-word, all kinds of stuff when you go to Boston," Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia said.
Monday's
incident also touched off widespread social media use of the hashtag
#BostonWrong - a dark twist on the post-marathon bombing #BostonStrong.
Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker called the incident "outrageous and disgraceful."
"I'm glad they kicked the guy out and I hope they never let him back in ever again," the Republican told reporters.
Police
Lt. Mike McCarthy said a fan threw a bag of peanuts at the Orioles'
dugout and hit a police officer posted nearby, not the center fielder.
He told The Associated Press that security officials had the man thrown
out before police could identify him.
Jones, a five-time All-Star, said he has been the subject of racist heckling in Boston's ballpark before.
"Hopefully the awareness comes," he said. "People around in the stands will hold other fans accountable."
The Red Sox said any spectator behaving poorly forfeits the right to be in the ballpark and could be subject to further action.
"The
racist words and actions directed at Adam Jones at Fenway Park last
night are completely unacceptable and will not be tolerated at any of
our ballparks," Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement.
Hall
of Famer and Yankees senior adviser Reggie Jackson said the incident
with Jones proves the United States has a long way to go with race
relations.
"While there was a residue of
racism in the game, certainly it wasn't out in the open when I played,"
he said. "I guess this thing with Adam Jones, it makes you well up and
get teary-eyed. ... You really feel that way?"
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