ECHL’s Icemen release Jacob Panetta after alleged racist taunt

Frank Seravalli
Frank Seravalli(frank_seravalli)
Jan 23, 2022, 13:03 EST
ECHL’s Icemen release Jacob Panetta after alleged racist taunt

UPDATE (6:05 p.m. ET): Jacob Panetta released a two-part video statement via his Twitter account, saying that his actions were “not because of race or were not intended toward a racial gesture.”

“Jordan Subban and I were talking in a heated manner. When the linesman got between us, I said you’re only tough once the refs get involved, and I did a ‘tough guy’ bodybuilder-like gesture toward him,” Panetta said. “I made the same bodybuilder gesture to non-racialized (sic) players a number of times when there have been on-ice confrontations. There is video from previous games which demonstrate this. I did not contemplate at the time this would be perceived by some as a racial gesture.”

Panetta apologized to Subban for his actions, acknowledging the impact of his gesture, and committed to “better understanding the impact moving forward.”

“It’s not who I am, it’s not how I have been raised,” Panetta said. “But at the same time, I need to and will learn from it.”

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UPDATE (2:30 p.m. ET): The Jacksonville Icemen sent a second statement on Sunday afternoon, announcing that Jacob Panetta had been released from the team “effectively immediately.” That marked a reversal of the team’s initial statement which said it would hold off on a decision until “after completion of league review.”

Panetta was already indefinitely suspended by the ECHL on Sunday, pending hearing, for his alleged racial taunt in Saturday night’s game. Here is our original story on the incident:

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The ECHL indefinitely suspended Jacksonville Icemen defenseman Jacob Panetta on Sunday pending hearing, one day after he allegedly made a racist taunt towards South Carolina Stingrays defenseman Jordan Subban in a game on Saturday night.

According to Subban, who posted video of the incident on social media and was amplified by his brother and New Jersey Devils defenseman P.K. Subban, Panetta made monkey gestures at Subban following an on-ice scrum. Stingrays teammate Nico Blachman also came to Subban’s defense, repeatedly punching Panetta in the face after he made the gesture.

The incident occurred just one day after another minor league hockey player was also suspended for making money-like taunts toward a Black opponent – and in the same week as pioneer Willie O’Ree’s jersey was retired by the Boston Bruins for becoming the first Black player to break hockey’s color barrier. The Hockey Diversity Alliance also recently launched its campaign to #TapeOutHate to call awareness and action to this very issue.

On Friday, the AHL suspended San Jose Barracuda forward Krystof Hrabik after he made a similar racist gesture toward Boko Imama of the Tucson Roadrunners during a Jan. 12 game.

Hrabik and Imama both issued separate statements about the incident, with Imama pleading: “Enough is enough!”

Devils defenseman P.K. Subban echoed Imama’s concerns and provided yet another call to action for the hockey community.

“They don’t call the East Coast League the ‘jungle’ because my brother and the other black players are the monkeys! Hey Jacob Panetta, you shouldn’t be so quick delete your Twitter or your Instagram account. You will probably be able to play again – that’s what history says,” P.K. Subban tweeted.

“But things are changing now. Not just the hockey world knows your true colors, your hometown of Belleville knows, your family, and friends know you’re a fraud. With everything that has gone on in the past couple years in the world, I’ll say with all due respect to everyone who has an opinion, this isn’t a mistake. We all know what’s OK and what’s not. Even your own teammates wanted to see you get your clock cleaned. This happens a lot and it never gets exposed in the lower leagues.”

The Stingrays issued a statement in support of Subban, while the Icemen reserved comment and decision on next steps, presumably including Panetta’s status with the team, until “after completion of league review.”

Panetta, 25, is from Belleville, Ont., and played four years of college hockey at Colgate Univ.

“The South Carolina Stingrays are disgusted and appalled by last night’s incident involving Jordan Subban,” Stingrays team president Rob Concannon said in a statement. “Our organization stands in support of our friend and teammate, Jordan, as well as all other players who continue to deal with racism and discrimination. This behavior is unacceptable and has to stop.”

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