The fact that the fan on Tuesday used the symbol behind Glanville, who is black, only adds to the suggestion that it was meant as a racist gesture. It comes at a delicate moment for the Cubs, who have faced backlash after racist and Islamophobic emails sent and received by Joe Ricketts, the billionaire patriarch of the family who owns the franchise and Wrigley Field, were published in February. Ricketts has since apologized and his family has noted that he plays no active role in team management.<doc-sep>A Chicago Cubs fan was spotted on-air during Tuesday night’s game against the Miami Marlins making a hand gesture that has been associated with white supremacist groups. The fan could be seen making the gesture behind NBC Sports Chicago’s Doug Glanville while he was reporting live on-air. Cubs President of Business Operations Crane Kenney issued a statement saying that the situation is currently under investigation. “Such ignorant and repulsive behavior is not tolerated at Wrigley Field,” his statement read. “We are reviewing the incident thoroughly because no one should be subjected to this type of offensive behavior.” RESTAURANT APOLOGIZES AFTER PATRON COMPLAINS OF 'INCREDIBLY RACIST' MESSAGE ON RECEIPT “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.” Comments on Twitter were nearly unanimous in their condemnation of the individual. “This a—wipe making white power hand signs while doug glanville is reporting needs to be dealt with asap! #cubs,” read a comment. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Glanville released a statement following the incident. The Chicago Cubs defeated the Marlins 5-2 on Tuesday night.<doc-sep>CHICAGO— Addison Russell and the Chicago Cubs don’t believe the [Filipino American] 2016 All-Star has become a completely changed man since his ex-wife accused him of physical and emotional abuse. They do believe he’s made positive strides, and with the Cubs needing an infielder for a depleted roster, Russell has been deemed the best option available. ADVERTISEMENT Russell rejoined the surging Cubs on Wednesday after completing a 40-game suspension for violating Major League Baseball’s domestic violence policy and spending extra time in the minors to get ready. The Cubs recalled Russell from Triple-A Iowa, then started him at second base Wednesday night and in the eighth spot in the batting order against Miami. Russell was eligible to rejoin the team May 3 against St. Louis at Wrigley Field, but the organization opted to give him more time with the minor league club. “This is not a finish line,” Cubs President of Baseball Operations Theo Esptein said. “This does not represent the end of the road or an accomplishment in any way, but there has been progress.” The Cubs had originally planned to recall Russell next week but moved that up after infielder/outfielder Ben Zobrist went on the restricted list Wednesday to take an indefinite leave for undisclosed personal matters. Infielder Daniel Descalso remains limited to pinch hitting because of a sore left ankle. The 25-year-old Russell was suspended last fall after a series of allegations made by ex-wife Melisa Reidy. He said in February that he was accountable for his past actions and apologized for “the hurt and the pain” he caused. Russell was working out in Arizona, playing in extended spring training games and meeting with a counselor twice a week before joining Iowa in late April. He batted .222 (10 for 45) with two doubles, three home runs and 13 RBIs in 12 games for Iowa this season. Russell hadn’t played for the Cubs since Sept. 19. The suspension covered the final 12 games in 2018 and the first 28 this year. Epstein said Russell had not only been compliant with terms set out by the team and Major League Baseball, but continues to work with a counselor in what will be a long-term and possibly lifelong process. Russell believes he’s ready to help Cubs on the field immediately, but realizes more is involved than on-field performance. ADVERTISEMENT “I’m happy I’m here in Chicago, ready to help this team win,” Russell said from the Cubs dugout. “I’m continuing my therapy, and I know I’m making great strides. “I’ve just improved with overall better relationships and better communication with my teammates, family and friends. Overall, I’m a better person. I’m happy I have this second opportunity and I’m looking forward and still improving as a person.” Epstein said the Cubs are not only monitoring Russell, but talking to people in his life about his behavior. That includes Reidy, who has said she supports Chicago’s decision to give Russell another opportunity. Manager Joe Maddon said he welcomed Russell back with a hug. Even if fans don’t embrace him with open arms, Russell stressed he’s sincere. “I don’t think I’m a good actor, but it’s something that I worked really hard for,” Russell said. “I don’t think you can fake what’s really true in your heart and what’s true in my heart is to be a better person and continue to get better. “And I can help out with that from a baseball standpoint.” Russell was once considered among baseball’s top young infielders. He helped the Cubs win the World Series three years ago, batting .238 with 21 homers and 95 RBIs in 151 games as the team snapped a 108-year championship drought. The Cubs faced criticism for retaining Russell after his suspension. Javier Baez moved from second base to shortstop following Russell’s suspension and has been the Cubs’ starting shortstop this year. Russell figures to backup Baez. MLB began an investigation in 2017 after allegations against Russell first became public. Reidy posted a photo on her Instagram account two years ago with a caption suggesting her husband of about 18 months had been unfaithful to her. In another post, a user described by Reidy as a close friend claimed Russell had “hit” his wife. The post was later deleted. Reidy declined to talk to MLB at the time because she decided it was not in her family’s best interests, her attorney, Thomas Field, said last year. But MLB kept the case open. Reidy published a blog post last September describing more detailed allegations, including years of physical and emotional abuse. Less than 12 hours later, MLB announced Russell had been put on leave under its domestic violence policy. And he accepted the suspension on Oct. 3. Notes: The Cubs activated left-handed pitcher Mike Montgomery off of the 10-day injured list and put right-handed reliever Pedro Strop on the 10-day injured list (retroactive to May 7) with a left hamstring strain.<doc-sep>
Image : NBC Sports Chicago At the start of the bottom of the third inning of last night’s Marlins-Cubs game, the NBC Sports Chicago broadcast cut to analyst Doug Glanville for an update. While Glanville was talking, a fan in a hoodie waved hello to the camera, flashed a peace sign, then made an upside-down OK hand gesture with his fingers. Cubs president Crane Kenney released a statement this morning, condemning the “ignorant and repulsive behavior” and threatening to ban the fan for life. “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,” he said. Kenney also went on the radio today and said they somehow determined that the fan was using the gesture with malice: “We reached the conclusion that it’s more likely than not that this person was using that hand signal as a racist way of interfering with everyone’s enjoyment of the game. That investigation has almost reached its conclusion. We’ll have more to say about that in a little bit. We’ll be taking action as a result.” Glanville also released a statement, thanking the Cubs for their “sensitivity” on the matter. 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. Later on Wednesday, the Cubs released a follow-up statement officially banning the fan. They said they could not reach the fan by phone, but sent him a letter informing him that he would not be allowed at Wrigley Field “indefinitely.” The team added that they will not release the name of the fan to the public. The hateful valence of that gesture is an open question, and while it’s well-established that it means “Okay” or is part of a game where you and your buddies punch each other, 4Chan trolls started a successful campaign to introduce it as a supposed symbol of white power. The goal was to make media types flip out over a meaningless gesture and then look dumb when everyone told them to stop demonizing people because the gesture’s merely part of the “circle game.” Kenney said the club wouldn’t buy the circle game excuse because of the specifics of the fan’s performance: “Whether this person is going to ultimately say he intended it, that he was playing the circle game or some other stunt, the judgment to use that in connection with a respected reporter who happens to be African-American doing his job — and we love Doug and he does an amazing job for all of us — that connection ... coincidence is not going to fly here.” Deadspin Staff Writer Lauren Theisen contributed to this report.