Tigers Player Faces Hate Crime Charges

An outfielder for the Detroit Tigers was arrested in New York City early this morning and could be charged with a misdemeanor hate crime. Delmon Young, 26, was involved in the incident outside his hotel around 2:30am. The New York Post reports that a panhandler wearing a yarmulke was asking a group of people for change when Young, who was standing nearby, started yelling, "F--king Jews! F--king Jews!" Another group of friends reportedly confronted Young and a fight ensued.

Young allegedly scratched one of the men in the face and shoved him to the ground during the scuffle, which spilled into the lobby of the Hilton Hotel in midtown. The man then called 911. The Post's sources described Young, who has a one-year contract with the Tigers for $6.75 million, as "highly intoxicated." He faces a charge for an “aggravated harassment hate crime,” said a detective, reports the Detroit Free Press. “Basically, there was an incident at the hotel (and) some anti-Semitic remarks." (More Detroit Tigers stories.)