The incident has received a great deal of attention in the United States and Canada and is the subject of an investigation.
Subban, who is colored, challenged Panetta to a fight during the extra time of the match, but according to witnesses on the ice, he responded with a racist expression and gestures.
Jordan Subban wrote on Twitter afterwards:
“He was too cowardly to fight with me and as soon as I turned my back on him he started making similar movements towards me, so I hit him in the face a few times. But then he crouched down like the shield father and coward he is ”.
Panetta’s club, Jackson Icemen, announced yesterday that he had been fired.
Club director Andy Kaufman writes in a press release that they do not tolerate such behavior.
“We have zero and no tolerance for racism or any other type of hatred towards any other ethnic group. Hockey is a platform that can absolutely not be used to spread anything other than our love of the sport, the environment we operate in and its people. ”
The NHL star’s criticism
On behalf of the club, Andy Kaufman apologized to everyone who took the incident badly.
Kaufman promises that Jackson Icemen will work with the management of ECHL to investigate the incident.
Jordan Subban’s older brother, NHL star PK Subban, also condemned Jacob Panetta’s action and sharply criticized the ECHL in a video.
“People do not call the East Coast Hockey League the jungle because my brother and other colored players are the monkeys. Panetta, you should not be so quick to delete your tweets or posts on Instagram in the belief that you will soon be back on the ice again. Things are changing. Now not only does the hockey world know what you stand for, your hometown of Belleville, your family and your friends now know that you are a scam. This was not a mistake. We all know what is okay to say and do and what is not. Even your teammates thought you deserved a slap. And I’m glad to see Jordan’s teammates backing up and supporting him. I love it.”
Panetta’s explanation: “Bodybuilder”
Jacob Panetta went out with a video last night, Swedish time, where he denies that he was guilty of any racist assault on Jordan Subban.
– What I did when he wanted to fight was to tense the muscles and with a gesture resemble him to a bodybuilder. It was definitely not meant to be a racist gesture. I am confused that it is perceived wrong and I have explained to him and his family that it was definitely not meant that way, says Jacob Panetta.
This incident comes close to Friday’s scandal in the AHL, where the league punished Krystof Hrabik in San Jose Barracuda with a 30-match suspension for making racist gestures towards his opponent Boko Imama, who is colored, in the Tucson Roadrunners.
That incident occurred during a match on January 12.
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