Wayne Simmonds Taunted With Banana By Fan At Flyers-Red Wings Preseason Game

[Hoosier Daddy]

Source: HuffPost Sports

Just before Philadelphia's Wayne Simmonds, one of the few African-American players in the NHL, scored on a shootout attempt in Thursday's preseason game against the Detroit Red Wings at the Labatt Centre in Ontario, a fan taunted him by throwing a banana peel that landed directly in his path to the net.

"I caught it from the side of my eye. It was a banana. Hopefully, that wasn't directed towards me being black," he said after the Flyers lost 4-3. "Because if it was, that's just somebody being ignorant."

Simmonds also acknowledged to the Associated Press that the banana rattled him, but "you learn to deal with it."

"When you're a black man playing in a predominantly white man's sport, you've got to come to expect things like that," he said.

Read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09/23/wayne-simmonds-banana-flyers-red-wings_n_977423.html

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No you don't, Wayne. No one should have to expect that. :grr:

[Myrina]

1. ... or it could have been meant to make him fall down ..

... like the age-old gag ...

:shrug:

[SemperEadem]

6. then why not throw a sock?

[Tyrs WolfDaemon]

7. It took me a moment to realize that was a camel going through a needle

I was thinking 'why do you have a camel cooking on a stick?'

[SemperEadem]

10. yeah, I think I may need to rework the needle a bit

considering the current mindset of the thug party, I felt that this was an appropriate graphic.

[Tyrs WolfDaemon]

12. You may also want to play with the camel a bit

I'm not sure what can be done about this, but it kind of looks like cooked chicken.
At least to me, but then I've always been a bit weird that way.

[SemperEadem]

14. habibi wasn't in the mood for jumping, so I turned him into a puppet and had my way.

[SkyDaddy7]

2. We humans sure act like children!

Well, I take that back children are not racist they learn racism! This story makes me VERY ANGRY!

I hope other hockey players, especially on the Detroit Red Wings, step up & denounce this disgusting crap!

[Hoosier Daddy]

9. Nik Lidstrom, the Wings' captain, already has

He's a classy guy.

[SkyDaddy7]

13. Excellent! I do not follow Hockey...

So it is nice to hear! Thanks!!

[Heywood J]

3. Why is it that every time my hometown is in the news,

it's something we have to apologize for? This is shameful. I hope they catch the son of a bitch.

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

4. I don't know where your hometown is, but this occured in Ontario...

...not Detroit.

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

5. The one positive....

....is that everyone is pretty much outraged over it. Sadly, black athletes are mercilessly taunted in Europe with racial chants, epithets and banana throwing during soccer matches, and barely anyone bats an eye.

[PassingFair]

8. He's lucky it wasn't an octopus.

Maybe the banana peel was meant to symbolize a fruity octopus.

[Fleshdancer]

11. So much grace and maturity in his response.

I agree with the OP 100%. Wayne should not have to expect that.