Baltimore Orioles star outfielder Adam Jones says he's heard racist slurs directed at him many times over his 12-year career, but never as bad as Monday night at Fenway Park in Boston.
Jones, who is one of only 62 African-American players in Major League Baseball, says he was consistently taunted by fans who shouted the N-word and even threw a bag of peanuts at him. Jones says this wasn't the first time he received that treatment at Fenway Park. He says, "It is what it is, right. 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. It’s unfortunate. The best thing about myself is that I continue to move on, and still play the game hard. Let people be who they are. Let them show their true colors."
Fenway Park officials say about two dozen fans, including one who threw the peanuts at Jones, were ejected from the game for various violations.
Jones isn't the first pro athlete to make similar claims about fans in Boston.
Source: USA Today photo credit - getty images