“We, like many Americans, made the mistake of thinking that our region’s and country’s less-than-stellar pasts were firmly behind us, that 21st century America was becoming a more inclusive nation committed to celebrating diversity. That is not the case,” Red Sox owner John Henry said in a statement.

AD

AD

“The events of the last few days have caused many in the wider world of sports to realize just how important it is to stand — or kneel — together to right some of these wrongs,” Henry added. “While this is a conversation that many of us in sports would rather leave to others, at some point these wrongs can no longer be ignored.”

Henry referred to the anthem protests and demonstrations of unity that erupted en masse at NFL games over the weekend, but according to Red Sox CEO and president Sam Kennedy, the roots of “Take the Lead” go back to May, when the team was confronted with a pair of racist incidents at Fenway Park.

In one, Orioles outfielder Adam Jones said he was “called the n-word a handful of times” by Red Sox fans, who also threw peanuts at him. That prompted apologies and condemnations from team, MLB and Boston officials.

AD

AD

The day after that, a man was ejected and permanently banned from Fenway Park after he used a racial slur while talking to another fan, who reported the incident to the team. “There is no place for racial epithets at Fenway Park, in baseball, or in our society,” the Red Sox said at the time.

Those episodes “really created a series of conversations internally amongst us in management and employees, community stakeholders and leaders,” Kennedy told The Undefeated. Beyond running the players’ public service announcement at Fenway, Gillette Field, TD Garden and other sports venues, he said the Red Sox would be “vigilant in terms of our code of conduct and policies and procedures at the ballpark.”

In August, Henry said that he was in favor changing the name of a street outside Fenway, which honors former team owner Tom Yawkey, under whose stewardship the Red Sox became the last in MLB to integrate, passing on the likes of Jackie Robinson and Willie Mays. “I am still haunted by what went on here a long time before we arrived,” Henry said then.

AD

AD

On Thursday, Henry said in his statement, “Our sports teams, our athletes, are woven into the fabric of our society. For that reason, we cannot remain silent nor still.”