Red Sox release statement addressing racist incidents at Fenway Park

There have been a number of reported incidents involving racism at Fenway Park over the years, and in the wake of comments made by former MLB outfielder Torii Hunter this week about his own experiences in Boston, the Red Sox released a statement Wednesday addressing it.

Hunter, who played 19 seasons, most coming with the Minnesota Twins, made an appearance on WEEI’s “Greg Hill Show” on Tuesday and detailed incidents of racism he said he was subjected to as a visitor at Fenway, and explained how he went as far as to put the Red Sox on his no-trade list because of it.

The Red Sox supported Hunter’s claim directly in their statement Wednesday:

“Torii Hunter’s experience is real.

“If you doubt him because you’ve never heard it yourself, take it from us, it happens.

“Last year there were 7 reported incidents at Fenway Park where fans used racial slurs. Those are just the ones we know about.

“And it’s not only players. It happens to the dedicated Black employees who work for us on game days. Their uniforms may be different, but their voices and experiences are just as important.”

This is real. pic.twitter.com/gMp8MEPb46

— Red Sox (@RedSox) June 10, 2020

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The statement went on to say there are well-established consequences for fans who use racial slurs and hate speech at Fenway, which the Red Sox as an organization are continuing to address and use their platform to create change.

Hunter isn’t the first player to publicly say they’ve been subjected to racial incidents. Orioles outfielder Adam Jones said in 2017 that he was called a racial slur in a game multiple times and that a fan threw a bag of peanuts at him, and that it wasn’t the first time he had to endure racist taunts in Boston.

from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/3dSHd4y