SANTA CLARA, Calif .– The San Francisco 49ers have publicly condemned the person who sent Arizona Cardinals security racist messages, Budda Baker, and announced that they have opened an investigation to identify the fan.
Baker took to Twitter on Monday afternoon to show screenshots he had received in his Instagram direct messages from someone who attacked him with a variety of racial slurs. In addition to the screenshots of the posts, Baker wrote: “I totally agree with the opposition fans talking about trash, but here man. All you can do is pray for people like that. “
The Niners issued a statement Tuesday afternoon, condemning the person sent the messages and made it clear that she would no longer be welcome to her games or events.
“The San Francisco 49ers unequivocally denounce the racist messages sent to Budda Baker. The person who sent the messages does not represent the 49ers or the faithful. In accordance with team policy, we make an effort to identify this person. and we will ban it from all 49ers games and events.
“Incidents like this demonstrate how much work remains to be done to combat racism and hatred in our society. We remain steadfast in our commitment to this work.”
Jed York, CEO of Niners echoed this post via Twitter, writing, “Unfortunately, these incidents happen far too often. Allowing these people to go unchecked allows racism and hatred to spread. I urge other teams in the world of sports to consider our policy of banning those who seek to demolish others with racial slurs. and threats of violence. “
The person in question appeared to blame Baker for the Niners’ sprained left knee of George Kittle. Baker kicked Kittle to the legs on a ball thrown too high by quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo at the end of the second quarter of Arizona’s 24-20 win over the Niners on Sunday. The fan accused Baker of attempting to attack Kittle’s knees.
After missing a snap, Kittle came back and finished the game. He defended Baker on Tuesday afternoon, posting a photo of himself and Baker in action with the caption “Nothing But Respect 32 (Baker’s jersey number )! See you soon.” Baker replied to Kittle’s post with “Always Respect Bro”.
Kittle and Baker, who both entered the league in 2017, have had a series of hotly contested showdowns over the past few seasons, but Kittle said last week that he and Baker have experienced a friendly rivalry and are even among the first to send text messages. when each received a lucrative contract extension before the season.
“We have a very, we have mutual respect for each other,” Kittle said on Sept. 10. “Budda is a hell of a soccer player… I love watching Budda play. He’s a monster. He’s all over the pitch.… We compete at a very high level, we have a lot of intensity and we both love football. What more do you want in a game? “
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