Racist monkey gesture from Jacob Panetta towards Jordan Subban leads massive criticism. In the viral video, You can see Panetta’s teammates actively not assisting him as they know it’s deserved. He deleted his social media accounts immediately following the game.
On Sunday, the ECHL suspended Jacob Panetta after the brother of longtime NHL defenseman P.K. Subban accused the Jacksonville defenseman of making “monkey gestures” at him.
According to the league, the indefinite suspension is pending a hearing under the league’s collective bargaining agreement with its players.
The incident with Panetta and Jordan Subban, which occurred 23 seconds into overtime during the Icemen’s 1-0 home victory over South Carolina on Saturday, comes after minor league forward Krystof Hrabik was suspended for 30 games for making a racial gesture during an AHL game on Jan. 12.
Jacob Panetta striking Monkey Gesture towards Jordan:
P.K. Subban posted a video on Twitter that appears to show Panetta striking a monkey-like pose while Jordan Subban is being led away by an official. Jordan Subban (Black) then skates back toward Panetta, and the two lock up at the start of a multiplayer skirmish.
In a post on his Twitter handle, Jordan Subban said that 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.
Jacob Panetta Apologised to Jordan:
“My actions toward Jordan were not because of race, and were not intended as a racial gesture. I did not contemplate at the time that it would be received as a racial gesture, and I attempted to convey this to Jordan when we were sent to the dressing room during the game,” 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 … I want to express to everyone, especially Jordan, that my actions were not racially motivated at all, and I sincerely apologize for the pain and suffering and anger that my actions have caused him, his family and everyone who has been hurt by this,” Panetta added.
P.K. Subban addressed the situation again Sunday night after the Kings-Devils game, saying that his family doesn’t need “pity from anyone,” and that “we have to bring people together, and hopefully this is another step in doing that.”
“No one felt sorry for us when we went through our experience, so we don’t expect anybody to feel sorry and we don’t expect anybody to really understand that isn’t Black,” he said, adding later, “This is life for us. And that’s what sad – this is life for people that look like me who have gone through in the game of hockey. And that’s part of the history, whether we like it or not, and we’re trying to change that.”
On Sunday, Panetta posted a videos with a tweet that said “racism has no place in this world and no place in the game we love.” Panetta said he told Subban that “You’re only tough when the refs get involved,'” and then “did a tough-guy bodybuilder-like gesture toward him”