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Giants Fan Who Threw Banana At Orioles Player Says It Wasn't Racially Motivated

SAN FRANCISCO (CBS/AP/BCN) -- Baltimore Orioles center fielder Adam Jones said he was moving on a day after tweeting that a fan in San Francisco threw a banana onto the field at him, while a man who admitted to tossing it said it was out of anger at the Giants and not racially motivated.

Jones told reporters before the Orioles' Monday night game against Arizona that the banana-throwing incident was unfortunate, but that he had bigger things to worry about "than someone's ignorance or act of whatever. You know what I mean?'"

Jones, who is black, claimed in a Twitter posting after Sunday's game against the Giants that someone tossed the fruit after he hit a three-run homer in the ninth inning of the game, which the Orioles won 10-2. His tweet sarcastically thanked the fan and added: "way to show ur (your) class u jackass."

Jones followed up by noting that many people on Twitter were defending whoever threw the banana. "Good chance this means I get off social media soon," he wrote.

Bananas have been thrown at other black athletes during sporting events over the decades, and the incidents are generally considered acts of racism.

Giants fan Alexander Poulides told the San Jose Mercury News that he grabbed a banana off a catering cart and hurled it toward the field in disgust near the end of the game. He apologized in an interview with the newspaper, saying he was "embarrassed and shocked by the outcome. In hindsight, I wish I didn't do it."

The Giants organization said they were not able to verify the fan's claim and were reviewing surveillance footage from the top half of the ninth inning.

The team also issued an apology Monday to Jones and the Orioles for the incident.

"We were extremely disappointed to learn about the incident involving Adam Jones at AT&T Park yesterday," the team statement said. "The Giants have a zero tolerance policy against this type of behavior, which results in immediate ejection from the ballpark."

"The Giants have a zero tolerance policy against this type of behavior, which results in immediate ejection from the ballpark," the team statement said. "While we have been investigating the matter since we learned of the situation, unfortunately we have been unable to identify the person responsible.

'"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," the statement said.

(Copyright 2013 by CBS San Francisco, the Associated Press and Bay City News. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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