Racism is alive everywhere in the world.
That includes the world of sports. Athletes would like you to believe that sports bring people together of all races and cultures. While that is true to some extent, it isn’t hard for racists to hide their true feelings about black people who aren’t their teammates.
The only reason someone would do what Krystof Hrabik did is that they are a racist deep in their heart.
The American Hockey League on Friday suspended San Jose Barracuda forward Krystof Hrabik for 30 games after he made a racist gesture toward Boko Imama of the Tucson Roadrunners in a Jan. 12 game.
A source told ESPN that Hrabik, 22, imitated the movements of a monkey in a taunt that targeted Imama, who is Black. The taunt was spotted by players on the Roadrunners bench, and Hrabik was confronted on the ice by Tucson’s Travis Barron while Imama was held back by a linesman during a stoppage in play.
Here is the statement released by the AHL.
“The AHL stands with Boko Imama,” AHL president and CEO Scott Howson said in a statement. “It is unfair that any player should be subjected to comments or gestures based on their race; they should be judged only on their ability to perform as a player on the ice, as a teammate in the locker room and as a member of their community.”
Hrabik says he apologized to Imama.
He stated he wasn’t aware of the racial implications of his taunt until after it was brought to his attention. That might be true, but it also shows how deep the racial hate is buried in his body. He could have done any type of trash talk, but instead, he decided to mimic a monkey that wasn’t by accident.
Flip the pages for a video of the fight and the gesture.