A fan at Coors Field appeared to repeatedly shout a racial slur at Miami Marlins outfielder Lewis Brinson during Brinson's ninth inning at-bat Sunday. The fan could be heard during the television broadcast.
The Rockies released a statement after the game, saying they were "disgusted at the racial slur" and launched an investigation.
However, on Monday, the Rockies announced the incident involved a fan trying to get the attention of Dinger, the team's mascot, rather than a racial slur directed at Brinson. The club spoke to the fan and also reviewed video of the broadcast.
Here is the team's statement:
"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 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."
Brinson discussed the matter on Monday, noting he watched the video "at least" 50 times and said he kept hearing the slur. Via the Associated Press:
"I watched it a lot, especially when I heard that he said Dinger instead of the N-word," Brinson told reporters. "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."
After Sunday's game, Padres outfielder Tommy Pham said he had issues with racist taunts at Coors Field earlier this season.
In 2017, longtime Orioles outfielder Adam Jones said he was "called the N-word a handful of times" during a game at Fenway Park. The Red Sox permanently banned the person who shouted at Jones from Fenway Park.
