Carl Crawford was participating in a minor-league game on July 5th when a policeman–Officer John Perreault–began heckling him. While yelling insults at the other team is fairly common in sports, Perreault took it one step further and hurled a racial slur at the Red Sox outfielder. What had onlookers confused, however, was that it the word “Monday”.

According to Urban Dictionary–and comedians such as Russell Peters–the term “Monday” is a put down because “everyone hates Mondays”. It has gained some attention in recent years because it’s almost a code word for a racial slur; a way to say a very negative word in relatively nice terms. And while those around Perreault were confused as to what it meant, Mayor Dean Mazzarella was not. He sent a letter to Perreault outlining his termination, effective immediately, after a disciplinary hearing found that Perreault was guilty of using other racial slurs at different times during his career.

As Mayor, it is my expectation that City employees of any department will never use racially-motivated statements against anyone, whether on-duty or off-duty. Your actions are so egregious that severe discipline is warranted. There is simply no place for your behavior in the workplace and there is no place for someone who exhibits such objectionable behavior in the Leominster Police Department, or any City Department, for that matter, the letter read.

Perreault is claiming he is not a racist and is pursuing an appeal of the decision; however, with more than one offense on his record, it will be difficult for him to convince the public of his innocence.