Red Sox apologize for fans’ racial taunts toward Adam Jones

BOSTON >> Boston Red Sox President Sam Kennedy is apologizing to Baltimore Orioles center fielder Adam Jones after fans at Fenway Park taunted him with racial slurs.

Kennedy apologized Tuesday after Jones said someone also threw peanuts at him during Monday night’s game. Kennedy said the organization is “sickened by the conduct of an ignorant few.”

Jones, who is black, said he was “called the N-word a handful of times” in quotes reported by USA Today Sports and The Boston Globe.

“It’s unfortunate that people need to resort to those type of epithets to degrade another human being,” Jones said.

Red Sox spokesman Kevin Gregg said a total of 34 fans were ejected from Monday’s game. He said one fan was ejected for using “foul language” toward a player on the field, but it is unknown if that was directed at Jones. The fan that hurled the peanuts also was ejected. Gregg didn’t specify why the other fans were ejected.

Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker called the incident “outrageous and disgraceful.”

“I’m glad they kicked the guy out and I hope they never let him back in ever again. There’s no place in Massachusetts, there’s no place in Boston, there’s no play anywhere for that kind of behavior,” the Republican told reporters.

Baker said he didn’t know the exact details of the incident, but added: “if you throw something at a player on the field and you hit them, that’s a crime and you can charge somebody for that.”

Boston Police Commissioner William Evans told reporters at a Statehouse news conference on an unrelated matter that police were working with Fenway security officials to find out what happened and if a criminal complaint is warranted.

“From what I understand is that they weren’t made aware of it until an hour after the game when the player made the allegation,” Evans said. “I don’t think security at the time were aware why this individual, if it was this individual, was even escorted out.”