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Former NBA Player Etan Thomas Says Woman Denied Him Train Seat Due To Race

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP)-- Former NBA player Etan Thomas has called out a woman he says denied him a seat next to her on a crowded train, only to offer it up to another passenger.

He wrote in a Friday Facebook post that he asked a woman if he could sit next to her on a crowded train but was told the seat was taken. Thomas, who is black, says a white man inquired about the seat less than two minutes later and the woman obliged.

Ok so I'm getting on the train and there are no open seats and I ask this lady if I could sit next to her (very politely...

Posted by Etan Thomas on Friday, May 20, 2016

"I ask ummmmm did you just not want ME to sit next to you? Were you scared? Not comfortable with a Black Man sitting next to you? And she says lol smh don't pull the race card stuff with me I dated a Black guy in college," he wrote in the post.

Thomas said he then took a picture, which he later posted to Facebook. He said she called the conductor, who Thomas says was a fan of his.

Thomas didn't say where the incident took place or what train line he was on.

(TM and © Copyright 2016 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2016 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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