Doug Glanville (May 7, 2019)

Doug Glanville said he welcomes an investigation into an incident involving an apparently racist hand gesture flashed by an unidentified fan during a live report Tuesday on NBC Sports Chicago.

As a baseball analyst and insider for the regional sports network, Glanville was delivering a commentary during a Chicago Cubs home game against the Miami Marlins when a man sitting behind him clearly displayed a gesture believed to be a symbol of white power.

Glanville said the Cubs organization and NBC Sports “have reached out to me and are supportive of my role in the broadcast and continue to have a desire to uphold an inclusive environment at Wrigley Field. They have displayed sensitivity as to how the implications of this would affect me as a person of color.”

Kevin Cross, senior vice president and general manager of NBC Sports Chicago, said in a statement: “We are disappointed by the incident that took place on our air last evening, one that was at the expense of our colleague Doug Glanville. We find the behavior of this fan reprehensible and clearly does not represent the great Cubs fans of our city and those around the country. We stand by our partners at the Cubs and will support their efforts regarding the investigation of this incident.”

Earlier, Crane Kenney, president of business operations for the Cubs, said: “Such ignorant and repulsive behavior is not tolerated at Wrigley Field. We are reviewing the incident thoroughly because no one should be subjected to this type of offensive behavior. Any derogatory conduct should be reported immediately to our ballpark staff. Any individual behaving in this manner will not only be removed from the ballpark, but will be permanently banned from Wrigley Field.”

Glanville, who also works for ESPN, is a former outfield for the Cubs as well as the Philadelphia Phillies and Texas Rangers.

Here is the text of Glanville’s statement:

Last evening, while I was providing live commentary during NBC Sports Chicago’s coverage of the Cubs–Marlins game on air, a fan used what appears to have been an offensive hand gesture that can be associated with white supremacy. I was made aware of what happened after the broadcast segment. The Chicago Cubs organization with the cooperation of NBC Sports is investigating this incident.

I applaud the responsiveness of both the Chicago Cubs organization and NBC Sports in investigating this matter. They have reached out to me and are supportive of my role in the broadcast and continue to have a desire to uphold an inclusive environment at Wrigley Field. They have displayed sensitivity as to how the implications of this would affect me as a person of color.

I am supporting their efforts in fully investigating the matter and I will comment further once the investigation has run its course.