ECHL executives suspended Jacob Panetta, a former Jacksonville Icemen forward, for the remainder of the season for a ‘racial gesture’ directed at South Carolina Stingrays defenseman Jordan Subban during a game played last Saturday.
The suspension corresponds to a total of 38 games.
In a statement, league officials said Panetta will be able to apply for reinstatement after March 17, after successfully completing an education program conducted in conjunction with the NHL’s Player Inclusion Committee.
Panetta made the gesture towards Subban, who is Black, during a skirmish at the start of overtime.
A video posted to Twitter by PK Subban, the New Jersey Devils defenseman and older brother of Jordan, shows Panetta performing a monkey-like pose, as the Stingrays player is escorted by an official away from the scene. Subban then returns to Panetta and the two players grapple at the start of a multi-player skirmish.
In a post on his Twitter account, Subban claimed that Panetta “was too cowardly” to fight him. In his tweet, he added that as soon as Subban started turning his back on him, Panetta started making “monkey gestures” in his direction. Subban responded by punching him several times in the face, he also wrote.
On Sunday, Panetta posted a video in which he explains that he imitated a pose that bodybuilders strike, a gesture that he says he has posed to other players in other games.
That same day, ECHL officials imposed an indefinite suspension on Panetta pending an investigation, while Icemen management released him.
“Insensitive actions and gestures, regardless of intent, cannot be tolerated in our sport,” commissioner Ryan Crelin said in a statement released Thursday.
“We all need to learn and grow from this incident, and we remain committed to further educating and advancing our commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion in our league. »