Michael Wilbon: Boston Garden Only Place I've Been Called N-Word to My Face

The Boston Red Sox released a statement acknowledging fan use of racial slurs at Fenway Park toward players and employees following ex-MLB outfielder Torii Hunter telling ESPN's Golic and Wingo he listed the Red Sox in his contractual no-trade clauses after being subjected to racial abuse at the stadium.

ESPN commentator Michael Wilbon responded to Hunter's comments and the Red Sox's statement on Pardon the Interruption Thursday and referenced his own experiences covering sports in Boston, noting that the only time he's been called the N-word to his face in public—or feared for his life—occurred in the city.

"The only times I've been called the N-word to my face in public have been in Boston Garden. The Red Sox don't play there, the Celtics do, OK?" Wilbon said.

"The only time I've feared for my life in the streets—feared for my life—I was with David DuPree...and we were in Boston, covering a series. We wound up in South Boston, and a cab driver, a white cab driver, screeches over to the curb and said, 'Get in, I don't know where you guys think you are.'"

The old Boston Garden was home to the Boston Celtics and Boston Bruins. It closed in Sept. 1995 before being replaced by its successor, the TD Garden.

Wilbon also said he does not go on New England's preeminent sports radio station, WEEI Sports Radio, because he says he gets baited too many times into saying something and that none of the hosts own it.

He then referenced that the Red Sox making the statement—and owning what the fans have done—is a "huge step."

"Too often in Boston, no one owned it. That's what the Red Sox did. That's a first, or almost a first, in terms of systematic ownership," Wilbon said.

Other players have said they have been subjected to racial abuse in Boston, including ex-MLB outfielder Adam Jones when he was a member of the Baltimore Orioles in 2017 at Fenway Park.

The racism toward players in Boston also came against Red Sox players, with ex-Sox infielder Kevin Youkilis telling this story to Fox Sports Radio on Wednesday (h/t Deyscha Smith of Boston.com):

"There was one incident where a fan came running down and was being extra harsh towards one of our black players, and I just got fed up and I stood up and told him to 'Shut the F up, and if you don’t like it get out of here.'

"I will never forget that moment because I was boiling. You could see the tension, and it wasn’t the same tension that was towards a white player. For the most part, I’d like to say too, though, with Red Sox fans, it’s not the majority it’s a minority of people that act like that. But the minority is too big, and you have to eliminate that."

Hunter also said he experienced racial abuse in other cities, per WEEI's The Greg Hill Show (h/t Smith):

"I would get it everywhere. Seattle. Kansas City. Kansas City once did something to validate it. When they called me the 'N' word standing over our dugout. Our whole team was almost going to jump this guy, but this guy’s kid covered his mouth. The police right next to our dugout got up and took him to a back room, talked to him, interrogated him and banned him for life. That was cool. I was like, 'Wow, Kansas City took care of that.'

"But when I went to Boston it was so consistent. After a while, I just kind of shoved it off and I went out and played. I played with aggression though. I played like I really wanted to play well in Fenway. It has nothing to do with the Red Sox. It has nothing to do with the players. It has nothing to do with the organization. It really has nothing to do with the fans. But that’s the issue when you hear that. ... It has something to do with society."

Red Sox President Sam Kennedy said, per Hayden Bird of the Boston Globe, that the team must "pull together and talk about these issues" in order to do better.