The ECHL has suspended Jacob Panetta for the rest of this season after the brother of longtime NHL player P.K. Subban accused the minor league defenseman of making 鈥渕onkey gestures鈥� in his direction.
Panetta was released by his Jacksonville team Sunday, a day after his actions toward Subban, who is Black. Panetta said his gestures were 鈥渘ot racially motivated.鈥�
Panetta, 26, will be able to apply for a reduction of the suspension and reinstatement after March 17, pending completion of a learning experience conducted in conjunction with the NHL鈥檚 player inclusion committee.
鈥淚nsensitive actions and gestures, regardless of intent, cannot be tolerated in our game,鈥� ECHL Commissioner Ryan Crelin said Thursday in a release. 鈥淲e all need to learn and grow from this incident, and remain steadfast to further educating and advancing our commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion throughout our league.鈥�
The incident with Panetta and Jordan Subban occurred 23 seconds into overtime during Jacksonville鈥檚 1-0 home victory over South Carolina on Saturday. It came in the wake of minor league forward Krystof Hrabik鈥檚 30-game suspension for making a racial gesture during a Jan. 12 AHL game.
Panetta was released by Jacksonville the next day.
Video posted by P.K. Subban on Twitter showed Panetta taking a monkey-like pose while Jordan Subban was being led away by an official. Subban then skated back toward Panetta and the two lock up at the beginning of a multiplayer skirmish.
In a post on his Twitter account, Jordan Subban said Panetta 鈥渨as too much of a coward鈥� to fight him.
鈥淎s I began to turn my back he started making monkey gestures at me so I punched him in the face multiple times and he turtled like the coward he is,鈥� Subban posted.
Panetta posted a video on Twitter on Sunday, with a tweet that said 鈥渞acism has no place in this world and no place in the game we love.鈥� Panetta said he told Subban 鈥淵ou鈥檙e only tough when the refs get involved鈥� and then 鈥渄id a tough-guy bodybuilder-like gesture toward him鈥� that Panetta said he has made to other players in other games.
鈥淢y actions toward Jordan were not because of race, and were not intended as a racial gesture. I did not contemplate at the time that it would be received as a racial gesture, and I attempted to convey this to Jordan when we were sent to the dressing room during the game,鈥� he said.
鈥淚 see now from Jordan鈥檚 reaction that he and others certainly viewed it as a racial gesture, and that my actions have caused a great deal of anger 鈥� I want to express to everyone, especially Jordan, that my actions were not racially motivated at all, and I sincerely apologize for the pain and suffering and anger that my actions have caused him, his family and everyone who has been hurt by this,鈥� Panetta added.
Jacksonville is affiliated with the New York Rangers, and South Carolina is a Washington Capitals affiliate.
鈥擳he Associated Press
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