The former St Louis Cardinals player Curt Ford says he is considering moving away from the city after he was attacked and told to “go back to Ferguson”.
The incident occurred when Ford and another man attempted to use the same pump at a gas station on Wednesday. Ford was then subject to racist abuse before being punched in the face. Prosecutors said a 37-year-old man had been charged with one count of assault motivated by discrimination in the third degree.
“I’m going to let the authorities handle this situation, but I’ve had enough of St Louis,” Ford told the St Louis Post-Dispatch on Thursday. “You hear about this kind of stuff happening, and I always knew it existed because of my previous experience working here in St Louis, but you try to keep away from it and there is just no way you can do that unless you stay inside like a hermit. I just want justice. It’s all I want.”
A police source told the Post-Dispatch that Ford was told “to go back to Ferguson”, as well as being the subject of a racist slur during the incident. Ferguson has been the scene of protests since the shooting of an unarmed black teenager by a police officer in August.
Ford was selected by the Cardinals in the fourth round of the 1981 draft, and made his debut in 1985. He played in the 1987 World Series, which the Cardinals lost to the Minnesota Twins.
