COACH SUSPENDED
Huskies hockey coach uses homophobic slur in an email; suspended for two games.
University of Saskatchewan men’s hockey coach Dave Adolph has been handed a two-game suspension by his employer stemming from comments made in an internal email to his hockey team.
The email — sent out in December and apparently part of a regular weekly exchange and banter between members of the U of S men’s hockey team — contained words that Adolph admits to being “homophobic slang” and “something I’m not very proud of.”
Adolph chose to speak to the media late Wednesday afternoon prior to practice at Rutherford Rink.
By doing so, he says he is taking full responsibility.
He said he regrets choosing the words that, he admits, were both “inappropriate and unprofessional.”
Adolph’s email has not been made available to the media.
“This language, and the hockey slang that we use in our sport and most sports, certainly in the heat of the battle in our hockey culture, needs to change,” Adolph said Wednesday.
“We need to find words that don’t express homophobic terms and we need to revamp that.”
Adolph said he totally supports the LGBT (Lesbians/ Gays/ Bisexuals/ Transgender) groups on campus, adding that they are “very important” to him.
“I’ve been a spokesperson for them. I fully support everything they do. We need to create an environment that is safe and acceptable for everybody, both male and female, on our campus and in our sport of hockey,” he said.
“I fully believe and support all those groups and I’m sorry to all those people who I may have offended in my email that got out to the public.”
Adolph will sit out this weekend’s two-game series Friday night and Saturday afternoon against the No. 1 - ranked Calgary Dinos at Credit Union Centre.
U of S president IleneBusch-Vishniac was not made available for comment Wednesday.
“I FULLY BELIEVE AND SUPPORT ALL THOSE GROUPS AND I’M SORRY TO ALL THOSE PEOPLE WHO I MAY HAVE OFFENDED.”
DAVE ADOLPH
The matter, instead, is being handled by the U of S’s human resource department. Attempts to reach spokesperson Barb Daigle by deadline, via phone, proved unsuccessful.
The timing of Adolph’s suspension comes at a time when public awareness is high heading into the Sochi Olympics given Russia’s controversial stance on gays and lesbians.
Closer to home, on the U of S campus in Saskatoon, news of the coach’s suspension spread Wednesday.
“I do think that it would not be okay for our coach to be discriminating towards any sort of student,” said Reegan Goehr, a volunteer with the USSU Pride Centre on the U of S campus.
“Although, if the coach is stepping forward himself and apologizing, and correcting his behaviour, I don’t think a suspension would be necessary.
“Sure, there would be repercussions if his name is out there and it’s known that he’s doing things, but, if he’s trying to make things right, that would be okay, as long as he’s being apologetic and changing that and being an example for other students for not to be rude.”