Following an incident in which Orioles outfielder Adam Jones said fans at Fenway targeted him with racist comments, the Red Sox have banned a fan for using a racial slur during another game.
Red Sox officials said in a statement on Wednesday that “the offending individual was promptly ejected from the ballpark and has since been notified they are no longer welcome at Fenway Park.”
The incident occurred at Tuesday’s game, right after a Kenyan woman sang the national anthem, according to WBZ.
Calvin Hennick, who is white, was at the game with his biracial son and black father-in-law.
“The white fan right next to me, the middle-aged man leaned over and said ‘she sang too long and she n-worded it up,’” Hennick told WBZ.
Unsure of what he heard, Hennick asked the man to repeat himself, and the man said the slur again, according to reports.
Hennick then reported the incident to security, which Red Sox officials confirmed in a statement.
“The Red Sox organization will not tolerate the use of racial slurs at Fenway Park, and we have apologized to those affected. There is no place for racial epithets at Fenway Park, in baseball, or in our society,” the statement continues. “The Red Sox have turned the matter over to the Boston Police Department, who will further investigate with their civil rights unit and determine whether it merits further action.”
During Monday night’s game, multiple fans reportedly targeted Orioles outfielder Adam Jones with racist comments, shouting slurs and throwing peanuts at him. There were 34 ejections that night, Red Sox President Sam Kennedy told reporters.
On a normal night, 12 to 15 people are ejected, most often for alcohol-related incidents.
The incident sparked a city-wide debate over whether or not Boston is racist. Many brought up when “Saturday Night Live” star Michael Che called Boston “the most racist city” he has ever visited.
