The Boston Red Sox have publicly apologized to Adam Jones and the Baltimore Orioles for reported racism directed towards the centerfielder during Monday night’s game at Fenway Park.
“A disrespectful fan threw a bag of peanuts at me,” Jones said, according to The Daily Beast. “I was called the N-word a handful of times.”
“It is what it is, right,” he continued. “I just go out and play baseball. It’s unfortunate that people need to resort to those type of epithets to degrade another human being. I’m trying to make a living for myself and for my family.”
Here’s the Red Sox statement, which calls the purported behavior “inexcusable” and the actions of “an ignorant few.”
The Red Sox issued a statement on the Adam Jones incident. pic.twitter.com/cTQcnhAg21
— Mike Cole (@MikeColeNESN) May 2, 2017
The team is still conducting a review of the incident, which was also immediately condemned by Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker.
Here’s his statement:
Fenway fans behavior at the #RedSox game last night was unacceptable & shameful. This is not what Massachusetts & Boston are about.
— Charlie Baker (@MassGovernor) May 2, 2017
The African-American Jones is one of only about 60 black players in the league this year. Participation in Major League Baseball from that demographic have been steadily sinking over the past decade or so.