Hockey player banned for one match for shouting ‘f*ggot’ during match
A Chicago Blackhawks NHL player has apologised for shouting “faggot” during a match, and he has been suspended for one game.
Andrew Shaw of the Chicago Blackhawks made the offending comments while playing against the St Louis Blues on Tuesday night.
Shaw has been sent off during the match, and shouted the slur while sat in the penalty box.
Though no audio of the incident was captured, cameras captured him appearing to shout ‘F**k you, you f**king faggot’.
He appeared on Wednesday to make his apology.
Shaw said: “I wanted to apologise for my actions — I have no excuses for anything… I want to apologise to the gay and lesbian community. That’s not the type of guy I am.”
The NHL decided that the comments by Shaw meant he should be suspended for one game.
In an email to the Chicago Tribune, NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly said: “It is an unfortunate penalty for the player and for his team, particularly at this time of year, but hopefully it will be an eye-opening response for everyone involved in the league and in our game.
“As a league, we stand for tolerance and inclusion. We cannot and will not tolerate public commentary or behaviour by league or club personnel that is antithetical to those values.”
The captain of the Blackhawks, Jonathan Toews, added: “It is a teachable moment for us to realise it has to be something that is scrutinised much more.”
He went on to say taht the team should be trying to learn from such situations.
Shaw also said the video was “hard to see”, after he watched footage of himself using the slur.
He added: “It was tough on me. I’m upset with myself.”
