A week after the 40-year anniversary of his historic home run No. 715, Hank Aaron continues to be the subject of racist hate mail, according to a national newspaper.
"Sheer racism, exposed in vile letters directed to Hall of Famer Hank Aaron, have poured into the Atlanta Braves offices over the past week," USA Today reported late Tuesday. USA Today obtained copies of some of those letters, which contain racial slurs, the article states.
A spokeswoman for the Braves declined to comment on the letters when contacted Tuesday night by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Major League Baseball honored another legend Tuesday, Jackie Robinson, who broke the game's color barrier on April 15, 1947. But in 2014, only a small percentage of major league players are black.
Aaron has previously acknowledged the racism he faced as a player, and has said it still exists today. But when he was honored last week before a packed Turner Field, Aaron instead focused on his love of the game and fans.
"I just want to say thank you for all the kindness over these many years," Aaron said.
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