Bill Peters may (or may not) have been fired as Flames' HC (READ POST #1)

[Shockmaster]

Not sure if this was already posted here:

Former Hurricanes owner criticizes how Francis handled allegations against Peters

 

[North]

Peters said he apologized to the team shortly thereafter. This contradicts Akim’s comments.

This should be easily verified by players on the team so more to hear about this.

Good thing the Flames organization is doing its due diligence on this since we may not have received the complete story on this.

Akim certainly has an axe to grind (complaining he was demoted). I hope this did not motivate him to tell half truths to sink Peters.

I expect more complete details to come before passing final judgement on this.

Half truths that were corroborated by other players but by all means ignore that.

The only one who has anything to gain with regards to lying about an apology is Peters.

 

[GBFP]

They're going to keep him because they don't want to create a #metoo. Hockey is a good ol' (white) boy network if there ever was one. Players move up to upper management a lot more than in other leagues. It's very insular. They're circling the carts - even the NHLPA siding against players wanting to shut down the whole situation.

 

[snovalleyhockeyfan]

Not sure if this was already posted here:

Former Hurricanes owner criticizes how Francis handled allegations against Peters

The Seattle Times articled referenced in the linked item: Ex-Carolina Hurricanes owner says he’d have fired coach had current NHL Seattle GM Ron Francis told him of player-abuse allegations. Writer is Geoff Baker, who has been covering NHL/Seattle related topics for the paper for a long time now.

My only comment to this is Baker's tossed another gas can onto a fire, he's done this quite a bit with his coverage here in Seattle of the arena and related issues. All the more reason Francis needs to come out and explain himself. I'm not of the view yet he needs to be let go here in Seattle, but this story certainly, especially after what RB'A told the media in his scrum yesterday, does not help him any. He at this point is, and should be, fortunate that the media here in town - outside of perhaps Baker at this point and to a lesser extent, KJR/KCPQ's Ian Furness - hasn't picked this story up to any great degree. But put a non-hockey guy on this story with any of these media outlets in town and I'd say all bets are off at that point.

 

[serp]

They're going to keep him because they don't want to create a #metoo. Hockey is a good ol' (white) boy network if there ever was one. Players move up to upper management a lot more than in other leagues. It's very insular. They're circling the carts - even the NHLPA siding against players wanting to shut down the whole situation.

There is no f***ing way the Flames can keep Peters because the shitstorm that creates would be gigantic and even more of a PR nightmare than the whole situation already is. People are not just going to move on from this in a jiffy.

 

[LOFIN]

Yikes

 

[snovalleyhockeyfan]

As to my general thoughts, though about the whole situation, I'm in agreement with many of you here - Peters is probably gone, and probably for the better. The alleged use of the n-word aside, it's the allegations of physical force used on players that to me is more problematic. There is no place IMO for that kind of conduct by coaches towards players in this sport, at any level of it.

 

[Cap'n Flavour]

So, if someone utters a slur and immediately apologizes, he should be fired from a different job 10 years later?

How many racial slurs have you used at work in the last decade? How many were directed at your co-workers or subordinates (if you have any)? What answer do you think the average person would give to those questions?

This is not normal, just so you know, and based on Michal Jordan's comments it's highly unlikely to be a completely isolated incident. Pro sports have an abundance of machismo and more leeway for this sort of thing but playing mind games and verbally abusing players isn't acceptable anymore (beyond the fact that it's very questionable as to whether it's effective coaching/leadership practice in the first place).

 

[417]

Peters said he apologized to the team shortly thereafter. This contradicts Akim’s comments.

This should be easily verified by players on the team so more to hear about this.

Good thing the Flames organization is doing its due diligence on this since we may not have received the complete story on this.

Akim certainly has an axe to grind (complaining he was demoted). I hope this did not motivate him to tell half truths to sink Peters.

I expect more complete details to come before passing final judgement on this.

I guess what we all know to be facts about this situation isn't enough to pass a final judgement on.

Maybe there's something that could potentially come out where a coach directs racial slurs at a minority player and it's justifiable.

Let's give it a few more days...

 

[Trap Jesus]

The Peters letter made it worse if anything. He doesn't mention anything about changing his views or anything, only that it doesn't reflect his values which is a complete BS statement. Not to mention it shouldn't be directed at his employer just to save his job, and that it contradicts other accounts with his apology.

 

[razkaz]

Not sure if this was already posted here:

Former Hurricanes owner criticizes how Francis handled allegations against Peters

Yikes, things are looking uglier and uglier.

 

[HockeyGuy1964]

Bill Peters Statement: I immediately apologized & have felt bad about the incident ever since.

Bill Peters to Akim Aliu after the incident: We're sending you to the ECHL where careers go to die because you have a bad attitude.

These 2 actions just don't jive.

 

[snopro31]

I don't think it's ok for a player to be racist. I just think it's worse for a coach given the job of a coach. I don't see how this is controversial. And I was responding to the idea that since players don't lose their job for using racist language that coaches shouldn't either. I don't think the situations are the same at all.

And this is why racism occurs. Its ok for one to do it but not the other.
Racism doesn't care if its a coach, towel boy, players etc... Its still racism. Players have been racist and they still played. If Bill gets fired for his comment about the music then those players who were previously caught slinging racial slurs toward other players should be waived and banned from playing.
Racism is racism.

 

[ToDavid]

Guy did not help himself buy burying his apology in 100 excuses, being extremely vague about what he actually said, and addressing it to his current boss instead of the person it actually affected. Granted, this is very likely because there's a legal investigation going on and I won't begrudge anyone their right to not incriminate themselves. But he probably would have been better off saying nothing at all or making a much more brief statement.

If it's true that he did apologize at the time, that's at least something positive out of the letter.

 

[GeeoffBrown]

It's obvious that Peters' lawyer wrote his apology letter, so nothing in it comes across as a sincere apology IMO. Just checking off all the necessary legal boxes.

Bill Peters has Brad Treliving's phone number if he wanted to make a real apology. (And maybe he has?)

 

[oXo Cube]

Guy did not help himself buy burying his apology in 100 excuses, being extremely vague about what he actually said, and addressing it to his current boss instead of the person it actually affected. Granted, this is very likely because there's a legal investigation going on and I won't begrudge anyone their right to not incriminate themselves. But he probably would have been better off saying nothing at all or making a much more brief statement.

If it's true that he did apologize at the time, that's at least something positive out of the letter.

I figure you probably understand this, but there is a zero percent chance he wrote any of it himself other than the signature.

 

[Craig Button]

I can’t understand how this guy has not been fired.
His N-word comments are bad enough.
I know his n-word comments was referring to the music and not Aliu but still it was racist.
What’s even worse than that he physically abused a player.
This guy actually kicked a player in the head.
HE KICKED A PLAYER IN THE HEAD.
How does this guy still have a job? Why would anyone hire him?

It boggles my mind that a coach physically kicking someone in the head is not enough.

 

[JT AM da real deal]

Well this is a very interesting legal precedent setting case study for the NHL.

Be very careful what you wish for. 20+ years ago from junior to the pros profanity laced discussion occurred in every rink and every team and every dressing room. We have great people but we are foul mouthed people behind the scenes. It is only on camera where we get the good ole boy personna.

The word in question in this case was often thrown around. Not generally at a player although it happened more to get someones goat under many breathes on the ice too. The good news is smart phones were not around and it was only a verbal thing. Very few actually meant anything by it. It was to goad a guy into a penalty or a fight.

Now the game has changed and so has the hockey society. But we better be careful because we could throw a lot of our greats under the bus. It would be 10X worse than the MeToo thing.

We need to keep in mind this was not how most of us really thought or believed it was just common talk sort of speak.

 

[Antropovsky]

I can’t understand how this guy has not been fired.
His N-word comments are bad enough.
I know his n-word comments was referring to the music and not Aliu but still it was racist.
What’s even worse than that he physically abused a player.
This guy actually kicked a player in the head.
HE KICKED A PLAYER IN THE HEAD.
How does this guy still have a job? Why would anyone hire him?

It boggles my mind that a coach physically kicking someone in the head is not enough.

Didnt he kick a player in the back and punch a player in the head.... i feel like a kick in the head during a game would be pretty chuck norris-y.

 

[Kegsey]

The Peters letter made it worse if anything. He doesn't mention anything about changing his views or anything, only that it doesn't reflect his values which is a complete BS statement. Not to mention it shouldn't be directed at his employer just to save his job, and that it contradicts other accounts with his apology.

He also says that he returned to the room and apologized but everyone else there said Akim went to his office where he doubled down on his original, racist stance. This apology reads like bullshit.

 

[Voight]

FWIW Oliver Kylington's mom is African and he said Peters has never said anything racist or hurtful to him.

 

[Paul4587]

That apology letter is an embarrassment. Peters is clearly not all there if he thought making that piece of garbage apology an open letter was a good idea.

 

[discostu]

He also says that he returned to the room and apologized but everyone else there said Akim went to his office where he doubled down on his original, racist stance. This apology reads like bull****.

I'm not a lawyer, but, him giving a statement that directly contradicts other accounts of the events seems like it could be very problematic for him.

Calgary probably doesn't have a lot of ground to getting out of their contract with him based on events that occurred 10 years ago.

They might have a case if he's giving statements that are being proven false by other accounts.

I think Calgary is still on the hook regardless, and quite frankly, don't particularly care one way or the other if they get out from the contract, but, coming clean and being truthful at this stage seems like the smartest approach for anyone in this situation.

 

[CommonKingfisher]

 

[Tkachuky]

Is Peter's your uncle or something?

His letter was a non-apology. Peters shows himself to be as craven as you'd expect.

No he is a human being. Do you comprehend the innocent until proven guilty comment? I made the innocent until proven guilty comments when the issue first came out before it was vouched by other players. Use your brain. Go find me any post I made saying that he isn’t guilty now that I knew the facts.