Baltimore Orioles player Adam Jones is speaking out about racist abuse he has experienced at Fenway Park.
Jones said this week that during Monday’s game against the Boston Red Sox, he was called the N-word a number of times, and one fan threw things at him.
“A disrespectful fan threw a bag of peanuts at me,” Jones said, according to USA Today. “I was called the N-word a handful of times tonight. Thanks. Pretty awesome.”
Jones is now advocating for tougher penalties on fans who abuse players. He is being supported by his wife, Audie Fugett, who has been married to for several years. Here’s what you need to know about Audie Fugett, Adam Jones’ wife.
1. She’s the Daughter of Jean Fugett
Looking forward to the Home Run Derby tonight by the way it’s cold in Minnesota! http://t.co/Q02D4nNHIW
Audie Fugett has a famous husband and a famous father.
After all, Adam Jones’ wife is the daughter of Jean Fugett, former tight end for the Dallas Cowboys and Washington Redskins. He played in the National Football League for eight seasons.
Jean Fugett had three children: Audie, Joseph, and Reginald.
According to the Washington Post, in addition to having experience in the NFL, Jean Fugett also has a law degree, something Adam Jones found quite impressive.
“I really don’t remember when I first knew that he played football, but I knew that he was a damn lawyer, I knew that first and foremost,” Jones said. “At the age of 29, he was retired from the NFL and had his law degree. I mean, that’s quite successful.”
2. They Were Married in January 2015
In January 2015, Audie Fugett and Adam Jones were married.
According to the TMZ, the two were married in Scottsdale, Arizona during the off season.
Several members of the Orioles, including manager Buck Showalter, were in attendance for the wedding.
TMZ reports that at the wedding, the two danced to “Me and Mrs. Jones.”
3. She Has a Degree in Law
Audie Fugett attended George Washington University. (George Washington University)
Adam Jones never went to college, but Audie did, and Adam jokes that she has enough college experience for the both of them.
“Obviously, her brain works a little bit better than mine,” Jones said during a recent charity event.
Specifically, Audie Fugett graduated from George Washington University and then earned her J.D. at Fordham University. She was following in the footsteps of her father, who also has a degree in law.
Fugett and Jones this year made a donation to the Youth of the Year Scholarship Awards, which they also helped select. Jones said at the time that his wife reminds him that the hardest part of getting into college for a lot of kids is just going through all the paperwork.
“She always tells me the biggest part of getting into college is actually the paperwork, the due diligence that the kid has to do, the application fees, that whole entire process,” he said. “It’s not easy. It’s a long, drawn-out process, and you have to really be on it.”
4. They Have a Son, Zaniyah
Adam Jones and Audie Fugett have one son.
Zaniyah Jones was born in March 2014. Jones says that his wife told him she was pregnant before the All-Star Game in 2013.
“Now here’s an extension of me,” Jones told the Baltimore Sun. “Now here’s my legacy. I can see my son every day and just see the smile on his face, and this is my legacy. This is where I leave my mark.”
Jones went on to say that he doesn’t care if his son becomes a baseball player or pursues sports at all.
He explained, “I tell him all the time, and I tell these other people [who ask], ‘Are your kids going to play baseball?’ I don’t care if he plays baseball. I just want him to do something he enjoys. If he’s a plumber but he likes it, he’ll be a very good plumber. If he’s a stockbroker and he likes it, he’ll be a very good stockbroker.”
5. Jones Says That His Family & Fugett’s Family Are Very Different
Adam Jones says that his family and his wife’s family are very different.
“Her family, they’re all private school,” he told the Baltimore Sun. “They’re all educated. They’ve got lawyers. They’ve got business people. There are some good fields there. My side, we weren’t as fortunate in terms of private school, but we’ve got the same family values as my wife’s family has.”
Jones went on to say, though, that both sides of the family are close, and they come together on Christmas and get along well.
In fact, Adam Jones and Jean Fugett are evidently close as well. According to The Washington Post, they talk sports often.
“One of the smartest guys I’ve ever met,” Fugett said of his son-in-law. “He would have been successful at whatever he chose to do.”