Baltimore Orioles star Adam Jones speaks out about racial taunts
BOSTON -- Baltimore Orioles star Adam Jones spoke out Tuesday after he said he was called "the N-word" at Fenway Park on Monday night, describing how the slur caught his attention.
Jones said he heard comments from fans during the game against the Boston Red Sox throughout the night and that some of it caught his attention.
"I heard the N-word, and, you know, I get certain reactions when, you know, someone says something clever or says something really, really stupid and ignorant," he said. "And last night it was not clever. It was really stupid and ignorant, so it caught my attention."
He said he doesn't know if it came from one person or more, but he had a message for the person or individuals involved: "Square up. Let's fight and get it over with," he said.
Jones also spoke about peanuts thrown in his direction during the game.
"Coming off the field, I generally try and throw a ball to not necessarily the people that are, you know, sitting right by the dugout, but people sitting a little bit further," he said. "And I threw a ball and I just put my glove down and see a bag of peanuts fly right in front of me. It hit the cop, so he was really frustrated. So he turned around and immediately we tried to catch, or see, whoever did it."
Jones, who is black, described the events after saying earlier that he was "called the N-word a handful of times" in quotes reported by USA Today Sports and The Boston Globe. He had also said the peanuts were thrown at him.
"It's unfortunate that people need to resort to those type of epithets to degrade another human being," Jones had said.
Jones is a five-time All-Star. He said he has been the subject of racist heckling in Boston's ballpark before, but this was one of the worst cases of fan abuse he has heard in his 12-year career, according to USA Today Sports.
Officials spoke out on Tuesday in response. Boston Red Sox President Sam Kennedy apologized to Jones. Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker called Fenway fans' behavior unacceptable and shameful. Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred said, "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."
Boston Police Commissioner William Evans told reporters at a Statehouse news conference on an unrelated matter that police were working with Fenway security officials to find out what happened and if a criminal complaint is warranted.
"From what I understand is that they weren't made aware of it until an hour after the game when the player made the allegation," Evans said. "I don't think security at the time were aware why this individual, if it was this individual, was even escorted out."
Police Lt. Mike McCarthy said later that a fan threw a bag of peanuts at the Orioles' dugout -- not at Jones -- 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.
The Red Sox said they were reviewing what happened at the game, but that any spectator behaving poorly forfeits the right to be in the ballpark and could be subject to further action.
