ECHL suspends ex-Jacksonville Icemen player Jacob Panetta for season for racial gesture

The ECHL suspended former Jacksonville Icemen defenseman Jacob Panetta for the remainder of the 2021-22 season Thursday for making a racist gesture toward South Carolina Stingrays opponent Jordan Subban in Saturday night's hockey game at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida.

The ban would be the equivalent of a 38-game suspension. The Icemen released Panetta on Sunday, and he is currently not under contract with any league club.

However, the league said Panetta will have a conditional opportunity to appeal for a reduction in the penalty and reinstatement after March 17, "pending successful completion of a learning experience conducted in conjunction with the National Hockey League’s Player Inclusion Committee."

MORE: AHL suspends player30 games for racial gesture

The league did not specify by how much the ban could be reduced upon appeal.

“Insensitive actions and gestures, regardless of intent, cannot be tolerated in our game," ECHL commissioner Ryan Crelin said in a statement. “We all need to learn and grow from this incident, and remain steadfast to further educating and advancing our commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion throughout our league.”

Video captured during Saturday night's game pictured Panetta raising his arms toward his sides, in a gesture similar to a monkey, during an overtime altercation with South Carolina defenseman Subban, who is Black. Officials assessed a double game misconduct against Panetta during the incident.

The Icemen issued a statement Thursday in response to the league's ruling, saying in part that "there is no room for racism of any kind in our game. This unfortunate incident is an opportunity for us to make a difference in our sport. We see this as an opportunity to listen and learn and use our platform to inform and educate."

The franchise also said it will be "connecting with local community leaders to help us understand the impact of this incident and how we can collectively make a difference."

The Panetta incident was the second involving a racist gesture in less than a week in North American professional hockey. Last Friday, the second-tier American Hockey League suspended Krystof Hrabik of the San Jose Barracuda for 30 games for making a monkey gesture toward Boko Imama of the Tucson Roadrunners.

Clayton Freeman covers high school sports and more for the Florida Times-Union. Follow him on Twitter at @CFreemanJAX.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jacob Panetta banned for ECHL season for gesture toward Jordan Subban