Schott, in Statement, Denies Racist Remarks

Amid calls for her ouster, Cincinnati Red owner Marge Schott on Monday denied making the racist remarks attributed to her by Sharon Jones, a former employee of the Oakland Athletics.

Baseball’s executive council scheduled a special meeting today in New York on the escalating controversy.

“My actions as president and CEO of the Reds are an open book,” Schott said in a four-paragraph statement. “They belie any charges of discrimination. I have nothing to hide.”

Jones said last week that Schott said: “I’d rather have a trained monkey working for me than a nigger.” Jones said she believed the alleged remark was made in 1988 before a conference call held by then-commissioner Peter Ueberroth.

“Whenever the alleged conversation took place, I did not make the comments Ms. Jones has attributed to me,” Schott said. “I would not make such comments. They are nonsense in more ways than the bigotry they represent.”