You ever hear a name and think, “I’ve heard of that person before, but I can’t remember from where?”
After tossing it around in your mind a few dozen times, you either remember, or give up and store it in the massive file which is our brain.
When the St. Louis Blues dismissed Mike Yeo and named Craig Berube interim head coach on November 19, I got that “where do I know this name Berube from? I knew he once played for the Washington Capitals because I had just moved back to St. Louis from Northern Virginia in 1995 and had seen the Caps play several games.
This was months ago, and I hadn’t given it anymore thought – and then, last week, someone reminded me.
In November 1997, Berube and Florida Panthers rookie Peter Worrell, who is black, had an on-ice skirmish. It led to Berube calling Worrell a monkey.
Berube, who is of Native American descent, apologized and said he “meant nothing racist by his remark.”
Reportedly, this was not the first time Berube called a player a monkey – all of them had not been black. He maintained it was a cultural thing, not a racist attack.
George McPhee, who was Capitals vice president and general manager when the ugly incident occurred, said he believed Berube.
“Craig in his mind and in his heart of hearts believes it wasn’t intended as a racist remark. He says it wasn’t motivated in that way and I believe him. I’m not defending what he said, but he grew up in a different culture, and in his mind, there was no racist intent,” McPhee said.
I have never met a Native American person that believed it was acceptable to insult black people with slurs like “monkey.” I’m not sure where that was coming from, but Berube’s explanation must have seemed plausible at the time.
I doubt it would fly now, and he would face harsh punishment.
By the way, Berube still carries the nickname, “Chief,” which he was tagged with as a player.
The National Hockey League suspended Berube for a grand total of one game and he forfeited about $7,500 in salary.
“It obviously hurt the other player and when things like that are said action needs to be taken,” McPhee said.
Earlier that month, Capitals forward Chris Simon, who also has a Native American heritage, laid a racial slur on Edmonton’s Mike Grier and received a three-game suspension.
McPhee said his players would go through “some type of sensitivity training.”
Berube reportedly apologized to Worrell in a 15-minute phone call and Worrell accepted the apology.
“He apologized and said the way it was said was not in the context that it was meant,” Worrell said following the incident.
“He sounded very sincere and I take him for his word and respect him for that. For me, it’s a dead issue.”
It was Worrell’s second game in the NHL and, it’s my guess, he didn’t want to make any waves in a league that had few black players at that time.
“I have bigger things to worry about,” Worrell said.
“I’m trying to stick with this team. I have too many things to worry about and too many goals to achieve.”
That’s what is called the high road.
The Blues were a mess when Berube took over. They would qualify for the playoffs if the postseason started today. The players believe in him and have responded with a turnaround unmatched by any NHL team.
Benjamin Hochman, Post-Dispatch sports columnist, recently wrote, “Craig Berube doesn’t put up with nonsense. He’s demanding, though not demeaning. Honesty isn’t the best policy; it’s the policy.”
I’ll be honest. I think Berube’s explanation for the racial slur in 1997 was nonsense. I think he was trying to demean Worrell.
But it was a long time ago. He could be a better man now. I certainly hope so.
Worrell unplugged
We heard from the young Worrell in 1997, but he remains vocal about the racism he and other players of color heard from fans and opposing players and still hear today.
Jonathan-Ismael Diaby, a 24-year old black player, left a minor league game in Canada after racist fan taunts and threats toward him and his family got out of hand. Instead of protecting his family, security officials suggested they move to other seats. In hockey-crazy Canada, it was a lead sports story in several publications and on television
“I was conflicted. I just wanted to fling my stick in the guy’s face, he told the BBC after the game.
“But then I was thinking of doing what I did, which was to leave the game peacefully and make a change after.”
The guy he is referring to was yelling racial insults and showing Diaby photos of baboons on his phone. It was captured on video.
Last April, Detroit Red Wings prospect Givani Smith needed a police escort to junior league playoff games after receiving racially motivated hate messages and death threats on social media.
Certainly reminded of the Berube incident, Worrell told the BBC after Diaby’s racist attack, “It’s the same crap that people do all the time. It always goes back to the monkey, it always goes back to the bananas, it always goes back to ‘go back to Africa.’”
“Basketball isn’t made for black people. Hockey isn’t made for whites,” Worrell said.
He also called out the black community for also stereotyping its own athletes.
“It’s not just white people who have that thought process. Quite frankly there’s a lot of people in the African-American community who feel the same way, which has always mind-boggled me, as to why you would limit your possibilities,” he said.
Last year, the NHL launched its “hockey is for everyone” campaign to promote its commitment to diversity. It also appointed Kim Davies to the position vice-president in charge of social equity. While it won’t solve the problems, it’s a commendable move.
About 7 percent of NHL hockey players identify as non-white. Sixty-six percent of NFL football players, 75 percent of NBA basketball players an about 60 percent of MLB baseball players fit that description. My guess is less than 7 percent of NFL fans are people of color.
Willie O’Ree became the NHL’s first black player in 1958. His skin color limited his opportunity, but he continues to support the game and attract minority players to the ice. It took 60 years for O’Ree to finally be inducted into the Hall of Fame.
“Is it hockey that has the race problem or is it society that has the race problem?” David Singh of SportsNet asked in a recent article.
“The simplest answer is that hockey has predominantly been a white sport and it’s been viewed as a white sport since forever.”
The Reid Roundup
Through Monday’s games at Spring Training, Dexter Fowler was 2-for-13 (.154) and Tyler O’Neill was 3-for-17 (.176)…Marcel Ozuna was 0-for-10…Since Jayson Tatum declared during the All-Star break the Boston Celtics would reach the NBA Finals, his team went 1-5…Tatum is ranked eighth on ESPN’s Top 25 under age 25 rankings…Bradley Beal is being called “The second Ray Allen…Beal is averaging Beal is averaging 25.7 points, 5.4 assists, 5.1 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game. Allen never registered a 25-5-5 season…Is anyone else tiring of Kyrie Irving’s brooding? I am…The L.A. Lakers couldn’t acquire Anthony Davis so Magic Johnson and LeBron James entertained signing Carmelo Anthony. Insert laughter here…Free-agent outfielder Adam Jones, one of MLB’s top black stars, remains unsigned.
Alvin A. Reid was honored as the 2017 “Best Sports Columnist – Weeklies” in the Missouri Press Association’s Better Newspaper Contest and is a New York Times contributor. He is a panelist on the Nine Network program, Donnybrook, a weekly contributor to “The Charlie Tuna Show” on KFNS and appears monthly on “The Dave Glover Show” on 97.1 Talk.” His Twitter handle is @aareid1.
