A Celtics fan received a two-year ban for allegedly directing a racial slur at Warriors center DeMarcus Cousins, the Celtics confirmed Friday afternoon.
The incident occurred when the Warriors visited TD Garden on Jan. 26, and was first reported by Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports.
In a statement, the Celtics said Cousins reported a fan had used a slur toward him, and that the fan, only identified as a minor, was ejected from the game as soon as officials learned about the complaint.
The team immediately investigated the allegations, and found that the fan had been "verbally abusive" toward the visiting team, but didn't find anyone who was able to verify the fan used a slur.
"Based on our investigation, the fan was issued a two-year ban from all Celtics games, and is also subject to lifetime probation pursuant to our policy," the Celtics said in a statement. "The punishment for any corroborated discriminatory language used towards player, employee, or fan at a Celtics home game is a lifetime ban."
Hear the rest of what Haynes had to say on the matter in the video below:
Yahoo Sources: A fan in Boston banned two years for muttering n***** at DeMarcus Cousins during Golden State's only visit to TD Garden. More details in video link provided. https://t.co/xWpgFu0amH pic.twitter.com/JbtFOt3scZ — Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) March 29, 2019
U.S. & World
Earlier this month, Thunder guard Russell Westbrook and a fan in Utah were involved in a verbal altercation in which Westbrook accused the fan of using racial taunts. The Jazz organization handed the fan a lifetime ban.
This isn't the first time this kind of incident has occurred at a sporting event in Boston, either. In 2017, then-Orioles outfielder Adam Jones accused fans at Fenway Park of using racist terms and throwing a peanut bag at him.
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