John Henson, a power forward for the Milwaukee Bucks, says he was discriminated against after he was denied service at a high-end jewelry store, the Huffington Post reports.
Henson described the incident at Schwanke-Kasten Jewelers to his followers on Instagram Monday afternoon. During business hours, Henson claimed he was locked out of the store located in Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin. Employees allegedly told him to go away after he rang the door bell twice for service.
Enter two police cars, who Henson believes were called by the employees.
After allegedly watching Henson for five minutes, the officers questioned him about his car. The athlete drives a car provided to him as part of his endorsement for a local Chevrolet and Cadillac dealership. After running his plates, they found that the 24-year-old was not a threat and business continued at the store.
Henson called the incident degrading.
In a statement to ESPN, the store owner apologized to Henson and blamed a mixup with the player’s car. Whitefish Bay police allegedly asked the employees to be on the lookout for a red Tahoe that resembled Henson’s after the store was robbed on Friday. A car similar to Henson’s was parked at the store before the robbery.
Store owner Thomas Dixon says he would like to personally apologize to Henson.
ESPN reports:
“We all agree that racial profiling is never acceptable and deeply regret how the circumstances unfolded Friday and today,” Dixon said in his statement Monday night. Dixon has reached out to the Bucks and hopes to sit down with Henson to “apologize for what he experienced.”
Henson previously extended his contract with the Bucks with a four-year $45 million deal. The rookie was the 14th overall pick from North Carolina in 2012 and has played three seasons in the league.
SOURCE: The Huffington Post, ESPN | VIDEO CREDIT: Inform
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NBA Player Claims He Was Racially Profiled At High-End Jewelry Store, Owner Releases Apology was originally published on newsone.com
