The Colorado Rockies say that a fan at Sunday’s game was yelling at the team’s mascot, while the player who was up to bat at the time says he hears a racial slur when he watches the video.
The video hit social media Sunday, with the Bally Sports Florida microphones picking up what sounded like someone in the Coors Field crowd yelling the N-word multiple times while the Miami Marlins’ Lewis Brinson was at the plate.
The Rockies immediately denounced the incident and launched an investigation, determining Monday that the fan was actually yelling at the dinosaur mascot, Dinger.
“After a thorough investigation that included calls, emails and video clips from concerned fans, media and broadcast partners, the Colorado Rockies have concluded that the fan was indeed yelling for Rockies mascot Dinger in hopes of getting his attention for a photo, and there was never any racial slur that occurred,” the Rockies tweeted Monday. “The Rockies remain dedicated to providing an inclusive environment for all fans, players and guests at Coors Field, and any fan using derogatory language of any kind will be ejected from Coors Field.”
Video posted Sunday night seemed to show a man loudly yelling “Dinger” at the mascot. Brinson said that he still hears a racial slur when watching the video.
“I watched the video at least 50 times in the past 15-16 hours,” Brinson said Monday, according to ESPN. “I watched it a lot, especially when I heard that he said Dinger instead of the N-word.
“I personally — this is again my personal opinion — I personally keep hearing the N-Word. It’s not that I want to hear it, I never want to hear it. Personally I’ve never been called that in person to my face on the baseball field, outside the baseball field, ever, so I don’t know what my reaction would be if I got called that.
“But to now, saying that again, I haven’t talked to the Rockies or that fan personally. If that’s the case, then I’m sorry for any backlash or anything he’s getting right now.”
ESPN reported that the Rockies heard from fans who defended the fan who was being investigated for yelling a slur. The team contacted the fan in question, and he said it was a misunderstanding and he was trying to get Dinger’s attention.
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