Red Sox apologize to Orioles, Adam Jones, call fans racist comments 'inexcusable'

Red Sox and Boston mayor apologize to Orioles and outfielder Adam Jones, call fans' racist comments 'unacceptable, inexcusable'

The Boston Red Sox issued an apology to the Baltimore Orioles and outfielder Adam Jones after Jones was the target on racial slurs and had peanuts thrown at him during Monday night's game.

“A disrespectful fan threw a bag of peanuts at me,” Jones said, according to USA Today. “I was called the N-word a handful of times tonight. Thanks. Pretty awesome.”

"The Red Sox want to publicly apologize to Adam Jones and the entire Orioles organization for what occurred at Fenway Park Monday night," the team said in a statement.

"No player should have an object thrown at him on the playing field, nor be subjected to any kind of racism at Fenway Park. "The Red Sox have zero tolerance for such inexcusable behavior, and our entire organization and our fans are sickened by the conduct of an ignorant few. Such conduct should be reported immediately to Red Sox security, and any spectator behaving in this manner forfeits his/her right to remain in the ballpark, and may be subject to further action. Our review of last night's events is ongoing."

Boston mayor Marty Walsh also weighed in on the incident saying, "This is unacceptable and not who we are as a city. These words and actions have no place in Fenway, Boston, or anywhere."

Jones is just one of 62 African-American players that were on the Opening Day rosters this season and said it was not the first time hecklers at Fenway Park had targeted him with racist remarks.

The fan that threw the peanuts was ejected from the game. Jones said a stiffer punishment such as a hefty fine or lifetime ban from the park should be levied for fans who behave like that.

"It's called a coward," Jones said. "What they need to do is that instead of kicking them out of the stadium, they need to fine them 10 grand, 20 grand, 30 grand. Something that really hurts somebody. Make them pay in full. And if they don't, take it out of their check."

Jones addressed media on Tuesday and said he welcomed boos and regular behavior from Red Sox fans, but re-emphasized that racist actions are unacceptable.

Just 'Boo me' - @Orioles Adam Jones on racial slurs from @RedSox fans pic.twitter.com/lX1ZDk04D4

— 7News DC Sports (@7NewsDCSports) May 2, 2017

MLB players association executive director Tony Clark also issued a statement: “It should go without saying that the type of behavior displayed toward Adam Jones at Fenway Park last night is reprehensible, unacceptable, unfortunate, and should not be tolerated on any level. Sadly, however, racist acts and behavior continue to plague our society, and our ballparks are not immune. We must continue to work together to deter this type of behavior and get serious about educating people about its deleterious impact. Until we take more of a leadership position in this conversation, these racist acts may blemish the image of the sport and further undermine all that we can accomplish.”

Red Sox star Mookie Betts also came to Jones's defense:

Fact: I'm Black too ✊🏽Literally stand up for @SimplyAJ10 tonight and say no to racism. We as @RedSox and @MLB fans are better than this.

— Mookie Betts (@mookiebetts) May 2, 2017

- Scooby Axson