Former NBA Player Denied Seat On Train, Claims Possible Racism
BALTIMORE (WJZ)—Former Washington Wizard player Etan Thomas took to Facebook after he says he was denied a seat on a train.
In the social media post, Thomas says he asked a woman "very politely" if he could sit next to a woman, but was denied after she said someone was sitting there.
The former Wizard said that he picked another seat on the train but two minutes later the woman let another man sit in the seat.
"Now, less than 2 minutes later a man--who happens to be white--asks if he can sit there and she says, 'Why sure let me move my stuff,'" said Thomas in the post.
So Thomas says he confronted the woman.
"I ask ummmmm did you just not want ME to sit next to you ? Were you scared ? Not comfortable with a black man sitting next to you?" he said.
According to Thomas the woman apparently responded saying, "Don't pull the race card stuff with me I dated a black guy in college."
After taking a photo of the woman Thomas says the woman said she was telling the conductor.
"Did you just take a pic of me?" asked the woman. "Well I'm going to tell the conductor that you're over here illegally taking pics of people without their consent."
Thomas played 11 years in the NBA. He was a center for the Washington Wizards in 2001 before being traded in 2009.
