A news station in Montreal is reporting that a black player for the North American Hockey League was taunted during a game by fans who called him a monkey and said he should be eating bananas.
Jonathan Diaby, 24, a player for the Jonquiere Marquis was victimized by racists Saturday when his team played the St. Jerome Petroliers du Nord.
He said he was taunted and so was his family starting when he was sent to the penalty box.
According to the Montreal station, one man leaned over the sides of the penalty box to harass Diaby, waving his arms like a gorilla and flashing images of a baboon on his phone.
Others in the stands shouted that Diaby should be eating bananas.
"Players on the ice noticed the harassment and told the racists to stop, but the men continued with their taunts," the report says.
In the stands, several people crowded around his family, pushing and hitting his father and pouring beer on his girlfriend.
When he was hit in the face with a stick in the second period and sent again to the penalty box Diaby waited out the time privately in the dressing room.
He ended up leaving the game and going to his family in the stands. They all left before the game ended.
The commissioner of the NAHL posted a video on social media saying the incident was unacceptable. He also sent a letter of apology to the Diaby family.
Former NHL player Georges Laraque told the Montreal station he was shocked.
"There were 1,250 people in the stands and nobody did anything to stop that. What is that, endorsing it?" he said. "If there is a minority kid watching that game, and his dream is to play hockey, what do you think he's going to do? He's going to not want to play hockey, they're going to quit."
