PK Subban ‘embarrassed’ for ice hockey after alleged racist abuse of brother

The ECHL suspended Jacob Panetta on Sunday after Jordan Subban, the brother of NHL star PK Subban, accused the Jacksonville defenseman of making “monkey gestures” in his direction.

The league said the indefinite suspension is pending a hearing under its collective bargaining agreement with its players. Jacksonville then announced they had to decided to cut Panetta.

The incident with Panetta and Jordan Subban, which occurred 23 seconds into overtime during the Icemen’s 1-0 home victory over South Carolina on Saturday, comes in the wake of minor league forward Krystof Hrabik’s 30-game suspension for making a racial gesture during an AHL game earlier this month.

Video posted by PK Subban on Twitter shows Panetta taking a monkey-like pose while Jordan Subban is led away by an official. Jordan Subban, who is Black, then skates 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 “was too much of a coward” to fight him.

They don’t call the east coast league the jungle because my brother and the other black players are the monkeys! Hey @jacobpanetta you shouldn’t be so quick delete your Twitter or your Instagram account you will probably be able to play again… that’s what history says but things pic.twitter.com/8zOJ9q47pk

“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,” Jordan Subban posted.

Jacksonville are affiliated with the New York Rangers, and South Carolina are a Washington Capitals affiliate.

Stingrays president Rob Concannon said the team was “disgusted and appalled” by what happened.

PK Subban initially said of the incident