Former Jacksonville Icemen player speaks out on alleged on-ice racial gesture that led to brawl

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The drama surrounding a Jacksonville Icemen player continues as the man accused of making racist gestures toward a Black player has spoken out.

Former defensemen Jacob Panetta has apologized for his gestures towards South Carolina Stingrays defenseman Jordan Subban, saying he was doing a “tough guy bodybuilder” gesture.

Subban accused Panetta of making a monkey gesture toward him while in a scuffle during overtime, which led to a brawl. The entire encounter was caught on video.

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In Panetta’s apology, he said he will learn from this incident and apologized to Subban, his entire family and everyone who was hurt by what happened. Panetta said it’s not who he is or how he was raised, adding that racism doesn’t belong anywhere in society, including hockey.

“I want to express to everyone, especially Jordan, that my actions were not racially motivated at all,” Panetta said in the apology video on Twitter. “I sincerely apologize for the pain suffering and anger that my actions caused him, his family and everyone who was hurt by this.”

The late-game taunting from the now-former Icemen defenseman cost him his spot on the roster and the entire league. He was released by the Icemen.

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On Thursday, the ECHL announced Panetta has been suspended for the remainder of the 2021-22 season, a total of 38 games. The ECHL released the following statement:

“The ECHL announced on Thursday that Jacksonville Icemen forward Jacob Panetta has been suspended for the remainder of the 2021-22 Season (38 games) as a result of a racial gesture during ECHL Game #474, South Carolina @ Jacksonville, on Jan. 22.

“Mr. Panetta will have a conditional opportunity to apply to the ECHL for a reduction of the suspension and reinstatement after March 17, 2022, pending successful completion of a learning experience conducted in conjunction with the National Hockey League’s Player Inclusion Committee.

“‘Insensitive actions and gestures, regardless of intent, cannot be tolerated in our game,’ said ECHL Commissioner, Ryan Crelin. ‘We 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.’”

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“It is not who I am it is not how I have been raised,” Panetta said in his apology video.

The video of the incident has gone viral and was given to Action News Jax. It shows the two being separated by referees in the midst of a scuffle during overtime until Panetta’s actions lead to Subban bolting towards the 26-year-old and a massive fight broke out.

Subban tweeted about the incident saying “... as soon as 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.”

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In Panetta’s apology, he said that wasn’t his intention.

“When the linesmen were between us, I said to him, ‘you’re only tough once the refs get involved,’” Panetta said. “I did a tough guy bodybuilder type gesture towards him, I’ve made the same bodybuilder gesture to non-racialized players a number of times when there have been on-ice confrontations, there are videos from previous games to demonstrate this.”

Action News Jax spoke with Sarah Beardall, the fan who took the viral video and said Panetta’s actions were unacceptable.

“You can definitely see the shrug of the shoulders, which in the moment could’ve been perceived as a tough guy hey whatever but when you’re told what was heard on the ice and from Subban, the actions match,” she said. “We don’t support the actions of our player, we support the team but we don’t support the odd man out who makes the bad decision.”

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Panetta acknowledged how his actions were viewed that way and the impact it has had, saying he will learn from it.

“Racism and other forms of discrimination have no place in society including hockey,” he said in the apology video.

The Icemen released a statement stating that they have zero tolerance for racism and hate. The statement read in part: “On behalf of the entire Icemen organization, we apologize to any one who was offended and look forward to beginning the process of healing together as one.”

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The Icemen released an additional statement Thursday:

“This has come up once again, and there is no room for racism of any kind in our game. This unfortunate incident is an opportunity for us to make a difference in our sport. We see this as an opportunity to listen and learn and use our platform to inform and educate. Not just for our players and our fans, but our sport and our community. We must do more if we’re looking to grow our sport and engage minorities. As a team, we are connecting with local community leaders to help us understand the impact of this incident and how we can collectively make a difference. We need to understand and recognize all forms of racism to ensure that we will abolish it from our game forever. We are committed to implementing new initiatives and community engagement opportunities to identify and defeat all forms of racism in our game and our community.”

The Stingrays also posted a statement saying, “The South Carolina Stingrays are disgusted and appalled by last night’s incident involving Jordan Subban.”

Panetta said he will fully participate in the ECHL’s investigation and will keep trying to reach out to Subban to express his apologies and regrets.

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