On Sunday, Aug. 8, a fan appeared to repeatedly shout a racial slur at Miami Marlins outfielder Lewis Brinson during his ninth-inning at-bat of a game against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. The fan could be heard shouting during the television broadcast.
The Rockies then released a statement on Twitter about investigating the incident.
“The Colorado Rockies are disgusted at the racial slur by a fan directed at the Marlins’ Lewis Brinson during the ninth inning of today’s game,” the Rockies statement read. “Although the subject was not identified before the end of the game, the Rockies are still investigating the incident.”
“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.
Nobody on the field, including Brinson, reacted to the shouts.
The next day, the Rockies concluded their investigation and found that the fan did not yell a racial slur at all.
As part of their team investigation, the Rockies contacted the offending fan and another fan that sat next to the man. The team found that the fan did not shout a racial slur but rather shouted “Dinger.” The fan was trying to gain the attention of the team’s dinosaur-themed mascot named Dinger. Dinger was making his way through the stands behind home plate at the time of the alleged “slur.” At the same time, a fan was waving toward the mascot to somewhat correspond to the yells captured on the broadcast.
