Hockey defenceman Jacob Panetta dropped from minor-league team after 'racist gesture' made towards Jordan Subban
Some readers might find the details in the story disturbing.
Jacksonville Icemen defenceman Jacob Panetta has been dropped from the team after he made what was perceived as a racist gesture towards Jordan Subban of the South Carolina Stingrays.
Subban’s brother, New Jersey Devils defenceman P.K. Subban, did not mince words when calling out Panetta on social media for his behaviour.
When the Icemen posted on Twitter an innocuous description of the beginning of overtime including multiple penalties for both teams during Saturday night's game, Jordan Subban responded with more details.
"More like @Jpanetta12 was too much of a coward to fight me and as soon as I began to turn my back he started making monkey gestures at me so I punched him in the face multiple times and he turtled like the coward he is," Jodan wrote. "There, fixed it."
Jordan's brother responded in kind on Instagram with a video of the incident and ensuing tussle, adding that he heard fans yelling the N-word during the brawl.
"You shouldn’t be so quick to delete your Twitter or your Instagram account," wrote the former Habs star and Norris Trophy winner. "You will probably be able to play again… that’s what history says, but things are changing. now not just the hockey world knows your true colours… your hometown of Belleville knows, your family, and friends know you’re a fraud."
Panetta's Twitter account is now deleted and his Instagram account is private.
The Jacksonville Icemen announced Sunday that Panetta has been released of his position “effective immediately.”
“Our core values as an ownership group include one love and zero tolerance for racism or any other forms of hate against any group whatsoever,” reads a statement posted to Twitter.
An investigation by the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL) is currently underway.
Panetta made a statement Sunday evening in a video posted to Twitter, claiming that he’s made the same gesture towards non-racialized players in the past, and that the gesture did not have racial implications.
“I did not contemplate at the time that it would be received by some as a racial gesture, and I attempted to convey this to Jordan when we were sent to the dressing room,” he said.
“I see now, from Jordan’s reaction, that he and others certainly viewed it as a racial gesture and that my actions have caused a great deal of anger and upset to Jordan, his family and countless others,” adding that he apologies for the “suffering my actions have caused.”
TWO CALL-OUTS THIS WEEK
It is the second time this week a player in one of the leagues just below the NHL has called out racist actions on the ice.
Tuscon Roadrunners forward Boko Imama called out San Jose Barracuda forward Krystof Hrabik for gestures he made during a game. Hrabik has since apologized and is serving a 30-game suspension.
Stingrays president Rob Concannon issued a statement on Sunday.
"The South Carolina Stingrays are disgusted and appalled by last night's incident involving Jordan Subban," he wrote. "Our organization stands in support of our friend and teammate, Jordan, as well as all other players who continue to deal with racism and discrimination. This behaviour has to stop and is unacceptable."
Jacksonville issued a statement saying it would cooperate with the league review.
P.K. Subban said he was impressed at his brother's teammates showing support, and pointed out that fans were yelling the N-word during the fight.
"We all know what’s ok and what’s not," said P.K. Subban. "Even your own teammates wanted to see you get your clock cleaned. This happens a lot and it never gets exposed in the lower leagues."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Honda to get up to $5B in govt help for EV battery, assembly plants
Honda is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles, all part of a $15-billion project that is expected to include up to $5 billion in public money.
BREAKING New York appeals court overturns Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction from landmark #MeToo trial
New York’s highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction, finding the judge at the landmark #MeToo trial prejudiced the ex-movie mogul with improper rulings, including a decision to let women testify about allegations that weren’t part of the case.
1 arrested in northern Alberta during public shelter order
Residents of John D'Or Prairie, a community on the Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta, were told to take shelter Thursday morning during a police operation.
Secret $70M Lotto Max winners break their silence
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
Monthly earnings rise, payroll employment falls: jobs report
The number of vacant jobs in Canada increased in February, while monthly payroll employment decreased in food services, manufacturing, and retail trade, among other sectors.
First in Canada procedure performed at London, Ont. hospital
A London man has become the first person in Canada to receive a robotic assisted surgery on his spine. Dave Myeh suffered from debilitating, chronic back pain that led to sciatica in his right now and extreme pain in his lower back.
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.