A baseball fan in Denver apparently spewed racial slurs at Miami Marlins outfielder Lewis Brinson on Sunday in an ugly incident condemned by the Colorado Rockies and the players union.
In the ninth inning at Coors Field, Brinson was at bat when home plate microphones appeared to pick up a male voice screaming, “hey n—–” at least twice.
Brinson, a 27-year-old native of Coral Springs, Florida, did not appear to react demonstratively to the racial slurs. Brinson and his teammates did not hear the slur, according to a team spokesman.
But several fans in the front rows appeared to look up to their left after the racial slur was heard.
“It is a painful reality that progress continues to be elusive in a world where ignorance and bigotry remain all too commonplace,” MLB Players Association President Tony Clark said in a statement.
“While many are truly committed to respect and equality for all, the abhorrent racial animus displayed today in one of our ballparks highlights that there is still much work to be done.”
Clark added, “We have to continue to work together to ensure that racism is never tolerated on or off the field.”
The fan who apparently yelled the slur could not be immediately identified.
“The Colorado Rockies are disgusted at the racial slur by a fan directed at the Marlins’ Lewis Brinson during the ninth inning of today’s game. Although the subject was not identified prior to the end of the game, the Rockies are still investigating this incident,” the Rockies said in a statement.
“The Rockies have zero tolerance for any form of racism or discrimination, and any fan using derogatory language of any kind will be ejected and banned from Coors Field.”
The game drew a crowd of 34,667. It was “Faith Day” at Coors Field and many fans remained after the game for a concert by the Christian band MercyMe.
“I’m absolutely disgusted at the language that was picked up by the mics late in the game today,” said Paul Severino, who calls play-by-play of Marlins games on regional sports network Bally Sports Florida & Bally Sports Sun.
“The level of hate that was displayed has no place in this world. Unfortunately it’s still far too prevalent. We need to be better. And soon.”
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
