Andrew Shaw Apologizes for Homophobic Slur

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During Tuesday’s game between the Chicago Blackhawks and St. Louis Blues, Chicago forward Andrew Shaw directed a homophobic slur toward an official who made a call against Shaw late in the game.

After the game Shaw said, “I don’t know what I said.”

Wednesday, he and the team offered an apology. You can read his full statement below.

I am sincerely sorry for the insensitive remarks that I made last night while in the penalty box. When I got home and saw the video, it was evident that what I did was wrong, no matter the circumstances. I apologize to many people, including the gay and lesbian community, the Chicago Blackhawks organization, Blackhawks fans and anyone else I may have offended. I know my words were hurtful and I will learn from my mistake.

The team also offered a statement.

We are extremely disappointed in Andrew Shaw’s actions last night. His comments do not reflect what we stand for as an organization. We are proud to have an inclusive and respectful environment, and to support various initiatives such as the You Can Play Project and the Chicago Gay Hockey Association. We will use this opportunity to further educate our players and organization moving forward, so that we all may learn from it.

While the Blackhawks organization has done some good work supporting the above organizations, it remains to be seen if they will back up their statement with actions and do something about a member of their organization yelling hateful things on television. If they believe in the mission of the You Can Play Project, they may need to do something a little stronger than say “Bad Andrew” and move along. If they don’t stand for this kind of behavior, then they can’t stand for it.

That’s not to say they won’t do something, or that the NHL won’t. As ESPN’s Craig Custance reported early Wednesday, the NHL is “investing Shaw[‘s] comments.” There’s a process being played out and we can hope that actions taken ultimately send the right message.

What Shaw says on the ice represents both the team and the league and their actions in response to this incident will be indicative of where they truly stand.