I agree that it was an excellent article; it was good to see Harper finally speak out again about some of the injustices that occurred during his time here both as player and coach.
I will, however, provide an incomplete defense of Lou Gorman. Actually, not really a defense, but perhaps an explanation. Prior to Gorman's hiring in 1984, the organization had become essentially inbred. Jean Yawkey essentially owned the team. Haywood Sullivan had been with the team since 1965, and was still around as team CEO. John Harrington, another Tom Yawkey crony, had become a close advisor to Jean Yawkey. Most of the rest of the organization was run by folks from the Yawkey era. Gorman was the first outsider brought into the team in recent history. From the scant information we have, and from general hearsay that I've heard over the years from various folks, Gorman never came across as racist. If anything, he was guilty of acts of omission rather than commission, although I doubt he had the ability to change the team's culture. As a "company man", it's certainly conceivable that he decided what happens in the clubhouse "down there" was not his problem to solve. However, given the fact that he was essentially surrounded by cronies of his owner, it could not have been comfortable for him at times.
As for Harrington, he always came across as simply a bottom line guy; he was, after all, team treasurer for a number of years. Again, he wasn't really the guy who was going to change the team's culture. And, to be fair, it's not clear he had any role the Harper episodes; he had left the team for a few years in the late 1970's and early 1980's. Also, the team did make progress in the mid-to-late 1990's in improving their image among the league's minority players; Mo Vaughn, for one, seemed to genuinely like it here, despite his differences with Duquette at the end.
I'm not defending the actions of Harrington or Gorman; perhaps better men would have been able to change the team's culture more rapidly. I'm just trying to put the roles of these parties in some perspective.
I will say the climate in Boston in the 1970's was not a good one, especially in the latter part of the decade. There always seemed to be an edge in the city at the time, and it was not welcoming in the least. And the racist attitude went beyond the team; Will McDonough, for one, never failed to take the opportunity to assassinate the team's African-American players.
