When asked about the situation in which Baltimore Orioles outfielder Adam Jones was the victim of racial taunts, Warriors forward Draymond Green revealed that he's been in similar situations.
Green told The Undefeated before the Warriors' 106-94 win over the Jazz in Game 1 of the team's second-round series Tuesday:
"I've gotten the N-word, all of that. I'd rather not get into [where]. A few places, especially being that it is me. Athletes are just not protected in that regard. Maybe something like [the Adam Jones incident] will help."
Jones said he was "called the N-word a handful of times" during Monday night's game against the Red Sox at Fenway Park, and that one fan threw a bag of peanuts at him. The Red Sox have since issued an apology for the incident, and Jones received a standing ovation from Boston fans during Tuesday night's game.
Green and teammate Stephen Curry are members of an advisory board for the Ross Initiative in Sports for Equality (RISE). Green contends that there needs to be better protection in place for players when it comes to malicious fan interaction.
"Cheer for your team. Do what you want. But if I'm playing in the game and you're cheering for your team, it doesn't give you the right to say whatever you want to say to me," Green said." This is my job, and I can't go to your job and say whatever I want to you. If I went to someone else's job and said whatever I wanted to say, I'd get arrested for harassment. It's a fine line. I don't think any league does a great job of making sure that athletes are protected.
"The fans are great, but at times I think the leagues empower hecklers to say whatever they want to us. We are in a position where if you naturally react, you're screwed, you're losing money. But there are great fans out there, and all fans shouldn't be put in that category."
The Warriors will play Game 2 against the Jazz in Oakland, California, on Thursday night.
