Black Washington Capitals Player Gets Into It With Fans Over ‘Basketball’ Taunt

6:02 PM 02/18/2018

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Washington Capitals player Devante Smith-Pelly addressed the media Sunday after getting into with Chicago Blackhawks fans Saturday.

The fans were reportedly taunting Smith-Pelly in the penalty box by repeatedly saying “basketball.”

He eventually got up, grabbed his stick and confronted them. It was intense to say the least.

We need to properly educate our country about black history. I’ve seen too many NHL players have to deal with racism. February needs to stay Black history month not “Hockey is For Everyone month” in the NHL. What happened to #Capitals Devante Smith-Pelly is unacceptable but I…. pic.twitter.com/WXqNAyUWyI

— Darren M. Haynes (@DarrenMHaynes) February 18, 2018

Devante Smith-Pelly on the incident last night in Chicago. pic.twitter.com/Oz9qfFWMQH

— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) February 18, 2018

Fans next to the penalty box said “basketball, basketball, basketball” to Smith-Pelly when he was in the penalty box, according to a Caps spokesman. DSP was understandably upset. The off-ice official confirmed what happened and the fans were booted. That’s the holdup for Trotz.

— Isabelle Khurshudyan (@ikhurshudyan) February 18, 2018

I love sports, and it’s disgusting to see things like this happen. There’s nothing wrong with a little chirping, but this crossed the line by a country mile.

It has always amazed me by how stupid some fans will get because they believe there’s nothing the athletes will do. You could tell in the video above that Smith-Pelly was ready to rumble, as most people would be in his situation. What an absolute dumbass and unacceptable move from these fans.

The NHL should think long and hard about whether or not they want these fans in an arena ever again. You don’t deserve the pleasure and fun of an NHL game if you’re going to throw subtle racist jabs at players in the penalty box.

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