NHL investigating alleged racial slurs
Posted: Tuesday October 06, 1998 01:05 PM
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Peter Worrell (right) said he had nothing to do with the accusations being levied and he denied hearing any racial slurs Peter J. Taylor/Allsport |
TAMPA, Florida (AP) -- The NHL is investigating whether two Tampa Bay Lightning
players used racial slurs and gestures toward a Florida Panthers player
during an exhibition game. The investigation came at the request
of Panthers officials, including president Bill Torrey, after an exhibition
game Friday in Jacksonville. Darcy Tucker and Sandy McCarthy
were accused of making the remarks and gestures to Panthers forward Peter Worrell, who
is black. McCarthy and Tucker both denied the charges.
"When I was growing up I had to go through that, and with my kids in
school I had it," said McCarthy, whose father is black and mother is
Canadian Indian. "I would never go there. I want to see the person who says
I did that stand in front of my face and tell me I said that because I
would never do that. I would never say that to this man."
Tucker, who is white, also said the accusations are false. "The
guys in this room all have too much respect for Sandy to ever say anything
like that to anybody," Tucker said. "Besides, who in their right mind would
say anything like that after what happened last year?" Last
year, Washington's Chris Simon and Craig Berube were
suspended after being charged with using racial slurs. Simon was suspended
for a slur against Edmonton forward Mike Grier. Berube
reportedly called Worrell a monkey. Worrell said he had nothing
to do with the accusations being levied against Tucker and McCarthy, and he
denied hearing any racial slurs or seeing any racial gestures made toward
him. "I didn't hear or see anything. I don't think it's an
issue," Worrell said. "I just want to make the team." Torrey
said he intended to discuss the matter with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman
at the league's Board of Governors meeting today in New York, Panthers
spokesman Mike Hanson said. Lightning coach Jacques Demers, who
is French-Canadian, said Panthers players made ethnic slurs toward him
after the game. "I was called a frog when I left the ice and I
overlooked it. I just left the ice," Demers said. "I didn't report it to
the league or anything. I had enough class to shut my mouth about it and I
think that's just as bad as what they're saying our guys did."
Lightning general manager Phil Esposito, who said he only heard of the
matter Monday after calling NHL vice president Colin Campbell, said he
believes the incident is an attempt by the Panthers to upset the Lightning
before the teams meet in the season opener Friday in Sunrise.
"This is typical Florida Panthers bull," Esposito said. "This is just them
trying to get us off our game because we're playing them in the opener.
It's not right." The NHL has said it has "zero tolerance" for
racial and ethnic slurs on the ice, although many players say insults are
tossed all the time in an effort to intimidate an opponent.
Copyright 2003 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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