clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Wayne Simmonds subjected to racist taunts in Czech Republic

New, 1 comment

For the second time in as many years, hockey player Wayne Simmonds has dealt with blatant racism on the ice. The latest incident came while Simmonds was playing in the Czech Republic during the NHL lockout.

John E. Sokolowski-US PRESSWIRE

For the second time in as many years, Flyers forward Wayne Simmonds has been the subject of a racist incident during a game.

The most recent came on Sunday afternoon, when according to Yahoo's Sean Leahy, Simmonds, playing for Liberec of the Czech Extraliga had fans of the opposing team Chomutov yell the word "opice" at him. The word opice means "monkey" in Czech, and came after the right winger had been involved in a fight.

On Monday afternoon, Chomutov General Manager Jaroslav Veverka issued a statement, announcing that the club was investigating the matter. He also said the fans who had made the comments were not welcome back at the arena.

Sadly, this is not the first time Simmonds, a black Canadian who plays in the NHL with the Philadelphia Flyers, has dealt with racism.

The first incident came in a preseason game last year, when a fan in London, Ontario, threw a banana peel on the ice.

The man who threw the peel, Chris Moorhouse, was later arrested by Canadian authorities.