Philadelphia Wings Announcer Loses Job For 'Let's Snip The Pony Tail' Remark Toward Native American Player
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PHILADELPHIA (CBS/AP) — A public address announcer has lost his job over a remark about a Native American player during a lacrosse game that he and the Philadelphia team called "insensitive."
The Philadelphia Wings said announcer Shawny Hill had been "permanently removed" from his role with the team and suspended from assignments at the Wells Fargo Center.
Georgia Swarm forward Lyle Thompson, of the Onondaga Reservation in central New York, said Hill said "Let's snip the pony tail" during Saturday night's game and fans then began to shout calls to "scalp" him. Hill said his words weren't "racially motivated" but reflected a lack of knowledge of heritage and history.
The team vowed diversity training for all employees to include a focus on "the Native North American roots and traditions of the sport."
Swarm teammate Brendan Bomberry, who is from the Six Nations reservation in Canada, said on social media that the game was overshadowed by the words, saying "'Let's snip the braid' was disgusting and a reality for my ancestors when they were forced into Christian residential schools."
While this happened at a Wings game, Eyewitness News spoke to Flyers fans Monday night because Shawny Hill is also well-known for arena announcing at the Flyers games.
"I just knew him as the guy dancing on the top of the stands," said one fan.
"He's good spirited," said Paula Wright. "He gets the crowd going. He does a little show. It's really a shame but it was an ignorant moment on his part."
Hill apologized on social media for "insensitive" words he called "poorly chosen" and "not intended as racially motivated."
"My words do not reflect my personal beliefs, but represent a lack of knowledge on heritage and history," he said, adding that he was reaching out to speak to Thompson and his brother, Miles, also on the team, "in hopes of providing a direct apology."
He continued, "I understand the profound hurt my words have caused. I offer my sincere apology."
The National Lacrosse League named Thompson the most valuable player in 2017 and in August honored the former rookie of the year and first selection of the 2015 draft with its sportsmanship award honoring "those with the greatest combination of character and performance" in the league. In 2015, while announcing the signing of Thompson to a two-year deal, the team released a Lyle Thompson Bobblehead that it said "also features a Bobble-Braid to showcase Thompson's signature ponytail."
(© Copyright 2019 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
