The Colorado Rockies have launched a probe into allegations that one of their fans hurled repeated racial abuse at Florida Marlins outfielder Lewis Brinson in Sunday’s Major League Baseball game between the two teams.
The offending slur was audible on the television broadcast during the ninth inning where a fan was heard yelling the N-word at least twice while Brinson, who is black, was preparing for his at-bat.
The Rockies indicated in a statement after the game that they had begun an investigation into the incident but had not yet managed to identify the fan responsible for the alleged racial epithet.
“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,” the team announced.
Warning: video contains swearing and racially offensive language
Shouting the N-word at a game? Where is the @Rockies statement on how they apprehended the racist and what they did to him? Where is @mlb’s investigation? This is a private business and they are responsible for the conduct of their patrons. pic.twitter.com/LEeJVLmpVz
— Keith Olbermann (@KeithOlbermann) August 8, 2021
“Although the subject was not identified prior to the end of the game, the Rockies are still investigating.
“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.”
Former New York Yankee Tony Clark, who is the Executive Director of the Major League Baseball Players Association, also condemned the incident, saying: “It is a painful reality that progress continues to be elusive in a world where ignorance and bigotry remain all too commonplace.
“While many are truly committed to respect and equality for all, the abhorrent racial animus displayed today highlights that there is still much work to be done. We have to continue to work together and ensure that racism is never tolerated on or off the field.”
I’m absolutely disgusted at the language that was picked up by the mics late in the game today. 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. Awful.
— Paul Severino (@SeverinoMLB) August 8, 2021
The outrage was echoed by Marlins’ play-by-play announcer Paul Severino, who said that the level of hate shown had no place inside of a baseball ground.
“I’m absolutely disgusted at the language that was picked up by the mics late in the game today,” wrote Severino, who apologized for the incident during the broadcast, on Twitter.
“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. Awful.”
Footage of the incident has since gone viral in the hours after the game, which the Rockies won 13-8, with at least one clip featuring the racial slur garnering more than two million views online in little more than 12 hours after first being published.
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