OSU apologizes to MSU hockey player after slur

Ohio State diversion manager Gene Smith issued a connection precocious Tuesday nighttime aft a Michigan State hockey subordinate alleged a Buckeyes subordinate directed a radical slur astatine him aggregate times during a crippled earlier this month.

Spartans subordinate Jagger Joshua, who is Black, shared his acquisition connected societal media from the Nov. 11 crippled astatine location successful which the Spartans defeated the Buckeyes 4-3.

Joshua said an authoritative successful the crippled heard what the opposing subordinate said and gave him a crippled misconduct penalty. The container people that time shows Ohio State elder guardant Kamil Sadlocha was the lone subordinate fixed a crippled misconduct.

After reviewing the situation, Smith publically apologized connected behalf of Ohio State and announced that Sadlocha is not presently with the team.

"I privation to connection my sincere and heartfelt apology to Jagger Joshua. On behalf of Ohio State University, I americium truthful sorry," Smith wrote. "No pupil oregon student-athlete should acquisition hatred oregon racism, and everyone should consciousness welcome. I person spoken with Michigan State diversion manager Alan Haller, and I'm thankful Jagger is getting the enactment helium needs.

"Over the past week, the section of athletics has worked done this on-ice incidental and spoken with Kamil Sadlocha and the remainder of the team, and Kamil is returning location and volition not signifier oregon vie astatine this time.

"I person met with the men's hockey squad and volition beryllium gathering with them again soon to sermon our values. The squad volition implicit acquisition connected radical sensitivity, diversity, equity, inclusion and the usage of respectful dialog. The section and I volition enactment them done this important process."

The Big Ten collected and evaluated accusation from the conference's officiating crew, some schools and video footage, and it supported the in-game punishment connected the Buckeyes, but it decided against further punishment.

"Due to the lack of indisputable grounds presented to the conference, the league has not imposed further disciplinary action," the Big Ten said successful a statement.

Joshua said helium was motivated to publically stock his mentation of the events due to the fact that racism successful the athletics volition get worse if it is not acknowledged.

"Acts of racism bash not beryllium successful hockey, arsenic they tin discourage African Americans and minorities similar myself from playing and loving the game," Joshua wrote successful his post. "Inaction successful the look of racist comments and actions let these behaviors to continue.

"The inaction has near maine feeling confused and pessimistic astir the question of diverseness wrong hockey culture."

Prior to Smith's statement, Ohio State said its diversion section and hockey programme worked with the Big Ten to travel to a resolution.

"Ohio State is focused connected providing an inclusive and supportive situation for all," the schoolhouse said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.