Curt Ford said an unprovoked racial attack has left him questioning if he wants to remain in St. Louis, his home of more than 30 years.
The former Cardinals outfielder, who is black, said he was punched in the face outside a gas station Wednesday after a white man shouted racial slurs at him and told him to "go back to Ferguson."
"I'm going to let the authorities handle this situation, but I've had enough of St. Louis," Ford told The St. Louis-Dispatch on Thursday. "You hear about this kind of stuff happening, and I always knew it existed because of my previous experience working here in St. Louis, but you try and keep away from it and there is no way you can do that unless you stay inside like a hermit."
Ford added, "I just want justice. That's all I want."
The alleged assailant, 37-year-old James Street, was arrested by St. Louis County police and charged with one count of assault motivated by discrimination, a felony.
"I was sucker-punched, blindsided," said Ford, who had difficulty speaking due to his swollen face. "I was walking into the store and got hit from my blind side."
Ford, 54, was drafted by the Cardinals in 1981. He made his MLB debut in 1985 and played his last game with the Cardinals in 1990.