Hacker posts racial slur on fan chat with black NHL player
NEW YORK » A hacker posted a racial slur 45 times in an online fan video chat Friday with a black New York Rangers prospect.
The NHL team scrambled to disable the hacker it called “a vile individual” on the Zoom chat with K’Andre Miller, the 20-yearold former Wisconsin defenseman drafted No. 22 overall in 2018.
“We were incredibly appalled by this behavior, which has no place online, on the ice, or anywhere, and we are investigating the matter,” the Rangers said in a statement.
The NHL also released a statement, saying: “The National Hockey League is appalled that a video call arranged today by the New York Rangers to introduce their fans to one of the league’s incoming stars, K’Andre Miller, was hacked with racist, cowardly taunts.The person who committed this despicable act is in no way an NHL fan and is not welcome in the hockey community.
“No one deserves to be subjected to such ugly treatment and it will not be tolerated in our league. We join with the Rangers in condemning this disgusting behavior.”
Miller recently signed with the Rangers after completing his sophomore season at Wisconsin.
Miss. State’s Leach apologizes
STARKVILLE, MISS. » Mississippi State football coach Mike Leach has apologized on social media for posting a tweet that drew criticism from Bulldogs players and an assistant professor at the school before it was deleted.
The outspoken coach on Wednesday night tweeted a picture depicting an elderly woman knitting, the Clarion Ledger in Jackson, Mississippi, reported. The caption read, “After 2 weeks of quarantine with her husband, Gertrude decided to knit him a scarf...”, but the picture showed her knitting a noose with the hangman’s knot already tied, the newspaper reported.
Leach’s tweet had more than 4,000 likes on Thursday morning, the newspaper said.
But several MSU players responded to the post with face-palm and raised-eyebrow emojis and a profane acronym, the newspaper reported. Mississippi State assistant sociology professor and author Margaret A. Hagerman chastised Leach and wrote that lynching jokes are incredibly offensive anywhere and “especially in Mississippi.”
Leach, 59, was hired in January to replace Joe Moorhead.
EPL suspended indefinitely, players to be asked for wage cut
The English Premier League was suspended indefinitely following a meeting of its 20 clubs, who discussed financial painkiller measures including asking players to take a substantial pay cut during the coronavirus outbreak.
Having previously given a tentative — and improbable — return date of April 30, the world’s richest league said the season would not be resuming at the start of May and “will only return when it is safe and appropriate to do so,” and only with the full support of government and medical guidance.
Teams have nine or 10 games left to play in the Premier League. The FA Cup is at the quarterfinal stage.
New Preakness date uncertain but infield party canceled
BALTIMORE » The Preakness is looking for a new date this year and has decided to cancel the infield party that is a staple of the Triple Crown race normally held on the third Saturday in May.
The owners of Pimlico Race Course and the Maryland Jockey Club said in a statement Friday that the outbreak of the coronavirus around the country has caused officials to delay the race and cancel InfieldFest 2020.
“Our first priority in these difficult times is the health and well-being of our customers, our vendors, our employees and the horses we all love,” the statement read.