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Banana Tossed at Black Philadelphia Flyer Player on Ice

by: iradiotom - Philadelphia, PA
started: 09/23/11 5:15 pm | updated: 09/28/11 1:51 pm

Usually Philadelphia sports fans are labeled with the ugliest behavior. However, in London, Ontario Canada where the Flyers played the Red Wings on Thursday night a fan threw a banana onto the ice at Flyers winger Wayne Simmonds who is black - one of the few black players in the NHL.

Gary Bettman, the NHL commissioner commented, "We have millions of great fans who show tremendous respect for our players and for the game. The obviously stupid and ignorant action by one individual is in no way representative of our fans or the people of London, Ontario."

Tell that to the rest of the Philadelphia fans who never threw a snowball at Santa Claus.

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(1) response

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by: iradiotom - Philadelphia, PA | responded: 09/28 1:51 pm

There has been an arrest! The guy who threw the banana on the ice at Simmonds has been arrested and charged under the trespass to property act, a provincial statute.

London police chief Brad Duncan announced that Christopher Moorhouse, 26, of London, threw the banana at Simmonds, one of the few black players in the NHL, during a shootout attempt at the John Labatt Centre on Sept. 22.

"Mr. Moorhouse has been served with a part three summons, and if convicted of this offence - could be liable to a fine of not more than $2,000," Duncan said. "This is a provincial offense and not a criminal charge, and will be dealt with in the provincial offenses court.

"This incident affected, not only our local community, it was across the national and international plane - and obviously individuals have very strong feelings about what occurred and I just wanted to indicate this individual has expressed remorse, notwithstanding the actions that he undertook, but we don't want individuals to go beyond what the court will do in terms of the penalty."

Duncan expressed concerns about possible retribution for Moorhouse by "vigilantism." Fans of the game had offered more than $2,000 in a reward for Moorhouse's arrest using social media.

Comcast-Spectacor Peter Luukko, president of the Flyers and the Global Spectrum company that manages the John Labatt Centre, was grateful for the support of the local community in London that came forward with information about Moorhouse.

"We would like to express our gratitude to the City of London, the police department and the many fans who came forward with information leading to this arrest," Luukko said in a statement. "We fully support the efforts to prosecute this individual. We have zero tolerance when it comes to this type of foolish behaviour. We will not tolerate it at the John Labatt Centre nor any of the other facilities we manage. The Philadelphia Flyers look forward to our annual preseason game next fall and playing again in our home away from home, the John Labatt Centre."

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