Adam Jones Banana Thrower Apologizes, Says It Wasn’t Racial

So about that Adam Jones banana-throwing incident? Disgruntled San Francisco Giants fan Alexander Poulides, 42, came forward on Monday to the San Jose Mercury News to admit that he threw the banana.

As most baseball fans know, on Sunday the Baltimore Orioles’ Adam Jones hit a three-run home run off the San Francisco Giants in the ninth inning. And the Giants lost the game 10-2.

In an incredible show of poor sportsmanship, a Giants fan then threw a banana at Adam Jones on the way out of the stadium.

But Alexander Poulides said that he was just frustrated by the Giants’ poor play. He didn’t intend a racial attack on Jones or the Orioles.

And he didn’t realize that his action had blown up on social media until he turned on the news Monday.

That’s when Poulides contacted the SJ Mercury to ‘fess up. “I’m embarrassed and shocked by the outcome…I wish I didn’t do it and I apologize. I’m very sorry.”

The Giants’ organization has also apologized to the Orioles and to Adam Jones. But they said they can’t confirm yet that Poulides was really the person who threw the banana. So they will continue to investigate.

They said that they have a zero tolerance policy about that kind of thing. Presumably once they know for sure who threw the banana, that former fan is getting banned from AT&T Park.

Throwing bananas at a player is widely considered to be a way of calling him a monkey. So it’s easy to understand why Jones, who is African-American, was truly hurt.

Here’s a series of tweets from Jones in the immediate aftermath of the incident:

I want to thank whatever slapdick threw that banana towards my direction in CF in the last inning. Way to show ur class u jackass.

— Adam Jones (@SimplyAJ10) August 11, 2013

I love how some ppl are defending the actions by someone today. Shows how u really are also. All good wit me. I just #StayHungry

— Adam Jones (@SimplyAJ10) August 12, 2013

Good chance this means I get off social media soon

— Adam Jones (@SimplyAJ10) August 12, 2013

I don’t blame him for being upset. I’d be pretty disgusted too.

But I see nothing to gain by Adam Jones quitting social media over the actions of one jerk who is now very sorry about the way he got famous.

What do you think about the Adam Jones banana incident?

[Adam Jones photo by Brandon Vincent / Shutterstock.com]