Mayor fires officer who slurred Red Sox player
LEOMINSTER, Mass.—The mayor of Leominster has fired a police officer who was accused of directing a racial slur at Boston Red Sox outfielder Carl Crawford during a minor league game.
Mayor Dean Mazzarella said Thursday that officer John Perrault's comments and actions show he's unfit to serve on the city's police force.
Mazzarella's decision comes a day after police chief Robert Healey recommended that Mazzarella fire Perrault. Healey said the 38-year-old officer used racial slurs on at least two other occasions.
Perrault has been on paid leave since he called Crawford a "Monday" before a July 5 minor league game in Manchester, N.H.
The word is considered a racial slur when associated with the common phrase, "I hate Mondays."
His attorney said Perrault wasn't using the word in a racial way and the city was overreacting.
