Yawkey Foundation 'Disheartened' to Be Linked to Racial, Political Controversy

The Yawkey Foundation has responded to comments from Boston Red Sox owner John Henry about the team's desire to lead an effort to get the street named after Tom Yawkey changed.

In a statement released Friday (via WEEI's Kirk and Callahan), the Yawkey Foundation said it was "disheartened" by having Yawkey's name added to the list of racially divisive and controversial monuments.

"Jean and Tom Yawkey's philanthropy, which has contributed more than $450 million—most of it to the Boston community—has always been color blind," the statement said.

Henry said in an email to Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald on Thursday the street named Yawkey Way "has always been a consistent reminder that it is our job to ensure the Red Sox are not just multi-cultural, but stand for as many of the right things in our community as we can..."

Yawkey owned the Red Sox from 1933 until his death in July 1976, at which point his wife took over controlling interest until she died in 1992. The Jean R. Yawkey Trust owned the franchise until 2002 when Henry bought the team. 

During Yawkey's tenure as owner, the Red Sox were the last Major League Baseball team to integrate their roster in 1959, 12 years after Jackie Robinson debuted for the Brooklyn Dodgers.

Bill Baer of NBC Sports reported Yawkey also "refused to promote black players from the minor leagues during the 1950’s despite exceptional performance."

The original address for Fenway Park was 24 Jersey Street, but the street was posthumously renamed after Yawkey in 1977.