Pittsburgh Pirates will put Roberto Clemente logo back on right field pad after replacing it with ad

PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates are putting Roberto Clemente’s logo back on a pad in right field after replacing it with an ad.

A post shared by Roberto Clemente Jr. created buzz on social media on Saturday. The post showed the pad in PNC Park’s right field that formerly held Clemente’s logo now had an advertisement for Surfside, an alcoholic drink.

Roberto Clemente Jr. and some Pittsburgh Pirates fans were upset about the decision. Clemente Jr. said his family was never consulted about the change.

The Pittsburgh Pirates issued an apology for not communicating the change to fans.

“The 21-foot-high wall that officially bears Roberto Clemente’s name continues to, and will forever, display his No. 21 in two separate locations. The temporary wall sign in question was put in place prior to the 2022 season and was never meant to be a permanent tribute, simply another cap tip to “The Great One.” We apologize that we didn’t directly communicate that fact to the Clemente family and our fans,” Pittsburgh Pirates Senior Vice President of Communications and Broadcasting Brian Warecki said in a statement.

Click here to read the Pittsburgh Pirates’ full response.

Clemente Jr. responded to the statement on Sunday. In part, he said:

“Yesterday, I was shocked to learn that the Clemente 21 sign - a tribute to my father on the right field wall at PNC Park in Pittsburgh - had been removed and replaced by an advertisement. While we appreciate that the Pirates acknowledged their failure to inform us, it reveals a broader issue: a lack of meaningful collaboration between the organization and on matters that are deeply personal and historically significant to us and the fans.”

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Just before 4 p.m. on Sunday, Pittsburgh Pirates President Travis Williams issued a statement confirming that the logo would be put back on the pad.

“We did not intend to disrespect the legacy of Roberto Clemente by adding the advertisement to the pad in right field. When we added the advertisement to the pad, it was an oversight not to keep the No. 21 logo.  This is ultimately on me, not anyone else in the organization. It was an honest mistake. We will be adding the No. 21 logo back to the pad. We have used this area for advertisements for many years. When we didn’t have a sponsor coming out of COVID, we added an additional element in 2022 to honor the legacy of Roberto.  It was a replica of the Three Rivers signage honoring him. This is in addition to the many elements throughout the ballpark that honor his legacy, including the fact that the wall is named the Roberto Clemente Wall, is 21 feet tall and has two No. 21s on it. We want to make sure that the Clemente family understands that we intended no disrespect to their father. We look forward to continuing our relationship with the Clemente family and apologize to them and our fans for our honest mistake,” Williams said.

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