MLBPolice Blotter

Did An Off-Duty Massachusetts Police Officer Shout A Racial Slur At Carl Crawford?

Last week, Red Sox outfielder Carl Crawford told reporters that someone shouted a racist slur in his direction as he signed autographs before a rehab game with the Double-A Portland Sea Dogs. Crawford, the $142 million man with the .255 batting average (you tend to get booed in Fenway with that type of cost-benefit discrepancy) noted that “people in Boston don’t even do that.”

According to eyewitnesses, the heckler positioned himself behind home plate and repeatedly reminded Crawford how overpaid and overrated he was. According to Crawford, he also called the left fielder a “Monday,” a derogatory term for black people.

Today, we found out the guy was a cop.

The unnamed officer is a five-year veteran of the Leominster, Mass., police department. He’s currently on vacation, according to Leominster Mayor Dean Mazzarella, but will be placed on desk duty while the city investigates. A suspension for the officer is likely, termination a possibility.

Crawford was understandably pissed about the incident. Leominster’s mayor described a conversation with the left fielder thusly:

“I could see how upset Mr. Crawford was, I can see it was bothering him; I could hear it in his voice,” Mazzarella said, according to The Boston Globe. “I feel bad, regardless of where it happened.”

Crawford makes his return to the (slightly) friendlier confines of Fenway next week.

[Boston Globe via Daily News]

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