ECHL player Panetta suspended for remainder of season after making 'racial gesture'
The ECHL has suspended former Jacksonville Icemen forward Jacob Panetta for the remainder of the season for a "racial gesture" directed toward South Carolina Stingrays defenceman Jordan Subban in a game on Saturday.
The suspension amounts to 38 games.
The league said in a statement that Panetta can apply for reinstatement after March 17 pending successful completion of an education program conducted in conjunction with the NHL Player Inclusion Committee.
Panetta made the gesture toward Subban, who is Black, during an altercation at the start of overtime.
Video posted on Twitter by Subban's brother, New Jersey Devils defenceman P.K. Subban, shows Panetta taking a monkey-like pose while Jordan Subban is being led away by an official. Jordan Subban then skates back toward Panetta and the two lock up at the beginning of a multiplayer skirmish.
In a post on his Twitter account, Jordan Subban said Panetta "was too much of a coward" to fight him.
"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," Subban posted.
Panetta posted a video on Sunday, saying he "did a tough-guy bodybuilder-like gesture" that he said he's made to other players in other games.
The ECHL provisionally suspended Panetta on Sunday pending the result of an investigation, while the Icemen released him.
"Insensitive actions and gestures, regardless of intent, cannot be tolerated in our game", ECHL commissioner Ryan Crelin said in a statement released Thursday.
"We all need to learn and grow from this incident, and remain steadfast to further educating and advancing our commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion throughout our league."
-- With files from The Associated Press.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 27, 2022.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
Man sets self on fire outside New York court where Trump trial underway
A man set himself on fire on Friday outside the New York courthouse where Donald Trump's historic hush-money trial was taking place as jury selection wrapped up, but officials said he did not appear to have been targeting Trump.
Sask. father found guilty of withholding daughter to prevent her from getting COVID-19 vaccine
Michael Gordon Jackson, a Saskatchewan man accused of abducting his daughter to prevent her from getting a COVID-19 vaccine, has been found guilty for contravention of a custody order.
She set out to find a husband in a year. Then she matched with a guy on a dating app on the other side of the world
Scottish comedian Samantha Hannah was working on a comedy show about finding a husband when Toby Hunter came into her life. What happened next surprised them both.
Shivering for health: The myths and truths of ice baths explained
In a climate of social media-endorsed wellness rituals, plunging into cold water has promised to aid muscle recovery, enhance mental health and support immune system function. But the evidence of such benefits sits on thin ice, according to researchers.
'It could be catastrophic': Woman says natural supplement contained hidden painkiller drug
A Manitoba woman thought she found a miracle natural supplement, but said a hidden ingredient wreaked havoc on her health.
'It was joy': Trapped B.C. orca calf eats seal meat, putting rescue on hold
A rescue operation for an orca calf trapped in a remote tidal lagoon off Vancouver Island has been put on hold after it started eating seal meat thrown in the water for what is believed to be the first time.
Manitoba mom praises quick-thinking fire department for freeing daughter stuck in playground equipment
A Manitoba mother is praising firefighters for their quick work in helping her daughter who got stuck at a playground in Lorette, Man.