Simmonds blasts 'gutless' tweeters
The Philadelphia Inquirer Blog - Flyers Report: Broad Street Bull
Simmonds blasts 'gutless' tweeters
Sam Carchidi, Inquirer Staff Writer
Flyers winger Wayne Simmonds was sickened by the dozens of racist and vulgar comments that Twitter users directed at his close friend, Washington’s Joel Ward, after he scored an overtime goal to defeat host Boston, 2-1, in Game 7 of their first-round series Wednesday.
“It’s the Internet. They can say whatever they want, and they don’t have to show their faces,” said Simmonds, who, like Ward, is one of 28 black players in the NHL. “It’s disgusting. Things like that have happened to me before. It’s not something you want to happen, but it’s sad in this day and age that it continues to happen.”
Simmonds, 23, and Ward, 31, both grew up in Scarborough, Ontario, but they didn’t meet until about five years ago. They have trained together in the last two off-seasons.
“We’re good buddies and it was nice to see him score. You could see the relief on his face,” Simmonds said after the Flyers’ practice Thursday in Voorhees. “The celebration was classic. He just smashed his stick into the ice, and it was pretty funny.”
Simmonds, who denied tweets that he received racial slurs during the Flyers’ recent games in Pittsburgh, said social media is getting out of hand.
“It is what it is. People can be as gutless as they want,” he said. “They don’t have to show up. They just throw a comment out on the Internet and it’s getting kind of ridiculous. Social media is not meant for that. It’s for ‘Say, hey, nice score. Congratulations.’ You’re not supposed to throw things out like that.”
In the preseason, a fan threw a banana peel at Simmonds during a Sept. 22 exhibition in London, Ontario, against Detroit. The 26-year-old man was fined $200 for “provincial trespassing,” but police said there wasn’t enough evidence to charge him with a hate crime.
“I guess it is what it is, but it’s sad I have to say that, though,” Simmonds said of the latest incidents.
Ward told USA Today the slurs were “shocking to see, but it didn't ruin my day. It doesn't faze me at all. We won, and we are moving on. … People are going to say what they want to say.”
Ted Leonsis, the Capitals’ owner, wrote on his blog that “there should be zero tolerance for this kind of hate mongering. Their messages should now stay glued into the algorithms to place a forever warning and a mark upon these people and their actions.”
Leonsis called Ward “a great teammate and a great citizen. He is now the star of stars in our city for his heroics” on Wednesday night.
Ward said he thought it was “just kids” who tweeted the comments.
Contact Sam Carchidi @scarchidi@phillynews.com, or on Twitter @BroadStBull.
Life is like a box of chocolates......— NYPHILLYPHAN- Really Wawa? you are the people simmonds is talking about. That said, this was bound to come to a head after pitt fans' recent outburst at simmonds because their team couldnt perform in a series. It really is a sad state of affairs.— frstrm
- Unfortunately, you can't fix 'stupid'— C-Note
- BAWSTON DIDN'T GET THEY'RE OWN WAY.ERRA ERRA DEY DON'T GET TO PAWTY THIS YEAAAR ERRA ERRA .— evenmix
- BAWSTON DIDN'T GET THEY'RE OWN WAY.ERRA ERRA DEY DON'T GET TO PAWTY THIS YEAAAR ERRA ERRA .— evenmix
- errraaahhh, Myyyyy fellow Americans, weeeeee neeeeed to disbaaaand aaall 29 other NHL teeeeams. errraaahh then the Bruins will win!
--Ted Kennedy's ghost— AnukKrakatoa - Simmer has had a career year this year since coming from LA in the Richards trade. 28 goals (career high) and 49 points also career high. I don't care what color a person is as long as he plays to the best of his ability and produces. Boston idiot fans are sore there team has shot it's bolt and are finished. Still absolutely no reason to attack something a person has no choice about; their color. We're all human beings and these internet chat rooms have gotten out of control, especially ESPN's...dumping ground of all the childish morons!— AnukKrakatoa
Comment removed.- Comment removed.
- I agree this racism is out of control. I mean look at ol George Zimmerman, the guy was castrated in the media. NBC edits the 911 call. The pictures released were a mean lookin George and a innocent kid Trayvon. The POTUS comments on what a travesty it was. The great dividers Al and Jesse were marching. YET not one day in court ever occurred. I agree with all those stating racism is out of control, me and my fellow white men are under barrage all day from all media outlets. when will it stop???— 420Phillie
- See this bull every day on the internet. No room for racist comments. I know I enjoyed Ward's goal last night knocking out the Bruins! My 2 boys both wanted and got for Christmas Wayne Simmonds jerseys. I don't see color on the ice I see hockey players!! We need to ignore idiots like that who post those type of comments.— slade1955
- That's the way it is. It's sad, but it will be even sadder if bills like CISPA get passed. Let's not get carried away and end up with the police state intruding on the Internet too.— lowflyer
- In this situation, the way you get to racist people who tweet racist messages is to keep winning!!!!!— rev
- The same ignorance Jackie Robinson had to endure. He's gone but not forgotten. Sorry it didn't work. He still made it— Showtime226
- This kind of hate filled stuff is going to be around as long as cowards can hide behind a fake name. Face to face they never say this stuff unless they know you have the same prejudices. As a professional tech guy I love the phrase the owner used and believe me I am going to start spreading it around to all my tech friends, "Glued into the algorithms." That is poetry. Spread that around - make something positive out of something negative. If that goes viral then people will always wonder where it came from. And you will know the story. On to facebook we go.....
Wait maybe he heard it somewhere?— Simon Nolet
