Oriole Adam Jones Says Red Sox Fans Racially Abused Him

BOSTON, MA — Baltimore Orioles star outfielder Adam Jones said he was "called the 'N' word a handful of times" by Red Sox fans and had a bag of peanuts hurled at him in the Fenway Park outfield Monday night.

Baltimore won, 5-2, in one of the worst efforts of the season from the Red Sox. But the most embarrassing part may have been what Jones alleged to have happened to him out in center field.

“It’s unfortunate that people need to resort to those type of epithets to degrade another human being," Jones told reporters after the game. "I’m out there trying to make a living for myself and my family. The best thing about myself is that I know how to move on and still play the game hard and let people be who they are and let them show their true colors." SIGN UP: Get Patch’s daily newsletter and real-time news alerts, or like us on Facebook. Or, if you have an iPhone, download the free Patch app.

Tuesday morning the Red Sox issued a public apology to Jones and Orioles for the hateful fan behavior.

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“No player should have an object thrown at him on the playing field, nor be subjected to any kind of racism at Fenway Park. The Red Sox have zero tolerance for such inexcusable behavior, and our entire organization and our fans are sickened by the conduct of an ignorant few," the Boston club said. "Such conduct should be reported immediately to Red Sox security, and any spectator behaving in this manner forfeits his/her right to remain in the ballpark, and may be subject to further action. Our review of last night’s events is ongoing.”

Boston Mayor Marty Walsh chided the unruly fans, saying the city "is better than this," and Massachusetts governor Charlie Baker called the racially tinged insults shameful.

Jones is one of the most well-known black stars in the majors. ESPN said he was one of just 62 African-American players on an Opening Day roster this season.

“It’s unfortunate," Jones said of the abuse. "Pathetic. What they need to do is instead of kicking people out of the stadium, they need to fine them 10 grand, 20 grand, 30 grand, and then make them pay in full and if they don’t, take it out of their check."

Jones said he heard there were "50-60" ejection at Fenway Monday night. The Boston Globe reported Sox officials saying fewer than 30 ejections took place.

Red Sox officials told USA Today that the fan who threw the peanuts at Jones was among those ejected from the ballpark. But the outfielder suggested a harsher punishment for out-of-control spectators that physically endanger players: fines of $10,000 to $30,000. "Make them pay in full. And if they don’t, take it out of their check," he said.

When a national debate flared in the fall after NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick knelt during the national anthem as a sign of protest, Jones said such actions were unlikely to happen in Major League Baseball because baseball “is a white man’s sport.” He added, “We already have two strikes against us already, so you might as well not kick yourself out of the game,” The Washington Post reports.

—Includes reporting by Patch Editor Mike Caraggi

Photo by Keith Allison via Flickr