Manfred: Racist words, actions toward Jones 'completely unacceptable'
Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred issued a statement Tuesday regarding an incident that allegedly involved racist words and actions directed toward Baltimore Orioles outfielder Adam Jones at Fenway Park.
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. My office has been in contact with the Red Sox, and the club has made it clear that they will not tolerate this inexcusable behavior. Our 30 clubs will continue to work with fans and security to provide a family-friendly environment. Any individual who behaves in such offensive fashion will be immediately removed from the ballpark and subject to further action.
The behavior of these few ignorant individuals does not reflect the millions of great baseball fans who attend our games.
Jones claimed that while playing Monday against the Boston Red Sox, fans taunted him with racist remarks and even threw a bag of peanuts at him.
"A disrespectful fan threw a bag of peanuts at me," Jones said, according to USA Today's Bob Nightengale, "I was called the N-word a handful of times tonight. Thanks. Pretty awesome."
The Red Sox publicly apologized to Jones on Tuesday morning and even Boston Mayor Marty Walsh got involved, asking the city to shape up.
"This is unacceptable and not who we are as a city," Walsh told Nightengale. "These words and actions have no place in Fenway, Boston, or anywhere.
"We are better than this."
MLBPA executive director Tony Clark also released a statement Tuesday, calling the behavior "reprehensible, unacceptable, and unfortunate."
Thirty-four people were ejected from Monday's game, including the individual who threw the peanuts, according to Red Sox president Sam Kennedy who also explained reports did not "specifically reference racial taunting."
"After a thorough review this morning, there were 34 total ejections: 20 of them were related to alcohol-related incidents, two for marijuana, one was for the peanut thrower, one was profane language directed at a player, there was fan on fan fighting with several folks jumping over seats,” Kennedy said, according to Andrew Mahoney of the Boston Globe.
Kennedy also said games at Fenway Park usually average between 12-15 ejections.