A Rockies fan accused of yelling a racial slur at a player in Sunday’s game against the Marlins has been cleared of wrongdoing after an investigation found he was actually trying to get the attention of the Rockies mascot Dinger.
The man quickly went viral Sunday as a video appeared to show him loudly direct a racial epithet at Marlins outfielder Lewis Brinson, who was at-bat in the top of the ninth inning.
Here’s the video by the way. I’ve highlighted both the fan and Dinger in the the first clip, then zoomed in on the fan in the second clip. And Dinger in the third. pic.twitter.com/ul14jQjavx
— Steve Staeger (@SteveStaeger) August 9, 2021
The man’s words were picked up on the live broadcast of the game, prompting quick condemnation.
“I’m absolutely disgusted at the language that was picked up by the mics late in the game today,” tweeted Marlin’s sportscaster Paul Severino. “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.”
The man, who wants to remain anonymous, said he was at the game with his wife and grandkids and wanted to get a picture of all of them together with Dinger.
The mascot was one section over, hence the yelling.
“The Rockies have zero tolerance for any form of racism or discrimination, and any fan using the derogatory language of any kind will be ejected and banned from Coors Field,” the team said.
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