The Giants fan, 48-year-old Alexander Poulides, insists he did not intend to throw a banana at the Baltimore Orioles’ Adam Jones after doing just that.
Jones, who is black, did not take kindly to the act—which had strong racial tones.
Poulides told the San Jose Mercury News that he grabbed a banana off a catering cart at AT&T Park and threw it toward the field in frustration near the end of the Orioles’ 10-2 victory over the struggling Giants. That says a lot about a grown man right there.
The banana landed in the vicinity of Jones, who angrily tweeted about the incident following the game, criticizing people who apparently defended the incident and hinting that he may no longer participate in social media.
Poulides said he had no idea of the controversy until he got home and watched the local news.
“Oh, my god,” Poulides told the newspaper he thought when he watched the broadcast. “I threw a banana on my way out. . . I’m embarrassed and shocked by the outcome. In hindsight, I wish I didn’t do it and I apologize. I’m very sorry.”
“It’s unfortunate that things happen like that,” Jones said ,”but it ain’t going stop me, myself and the Orioles, We have games to win. It’s mid-August. I’ve got a bigger concern in my head than someone’s ignorance or act of whatever. You know what I mean?”
The Giants released a public statement earlier Monday, saying:
“We were extremely disappointed to learn about the incident involving Adam Jones at AT&T Park yesterday. The Giants have a zero tolerance policy against this type of behavior, which results in immediate ejection from the ballpark. While we have been investigating the matter since we learned of the situation, unfortunately we have been unable to identify the person responsible.
“We would like to extend our sincerest apologies to Adam and the entire Orioles organization for this unfortunate incident. The inappropriate actions of this individual in no way reflect the values of our organization and our fans.”
Jones, who scored a home run and had four RBIs in the game, tweeted to his more than 129,000 followers: “I want to thank whatever slapd— threw that banana towards my direction in CF in the last inning. Way to show ur class u jacka–.”
