Kaitlyn Williams

Editor-In-Cheif

On Tuesday Jan. 25, the National Hockey League’s Anaheim Ducks were sued by a Jewish hockey player who claimed he had been harassed.  Jason Bailey, 23, filed the action in the Orange County (California) Superior Court against the Ducks.

The complaint stated that Bailey endured “a barrage of anti-Semitic, offensive and degrading verbal attacks regarding his Jewish faith” according to Marty Raymond, Condors head coach..  “That is [Bailey’s] religion so they shouldn’t make fun of him for his beliefs,” stated senior Brody Ryan.

Bailey was drafted in 2005 by the Ducks but was given very little ice time.  According to Bailey, “he was not provided with the same resources that were fully available to the hockey players who were not Jewish.”    In 2009 he had talked to the Anaheim Ducks assistant general manager David McNab.  McNab found Bailey’s complaints “unbelievable”.

From there Bailey was sent to play for the Iowa Chops, however he still didn’t get much ice time.  The Ducks coaching staff attempted to send him to the Central Hockey League but Bailey stated how that would break his contract.

Raymond and assistant coach Mark Pederson were suspended and forced to write letters of apology to Bailey.  Bailey still believes the letters to be insincere.

Raymond wrote in his letter,  “I guess I never stopped to think about the impact my statement would have on you or how it would make you feel. It was not intended to insult or hurt in you in any way, but it did, and for that I am truly sorry.”

“As a French-Canadian, I too have come face-to-face with bigotry and understand how such remarks can negatively affect lives,” stated Raymond in his letter.  Raymond also said that he would no longer act is such a way, according to the lawsuit.   Senior Dakota Clark explained, “ [The Ducks coaches] should have had to make a public apology and been more punished.”

The lawsuit states that Bailey was the discriminated and harassed based on religion in such a way that should never be tolerated.  It also claims that he lost income and specific benefits because of his religion.  The NHL never would have tolerated such an act.  “It makes the NHL look bad and the coaches too,” stated freshman Jake Roach.

Even though Bailey was discriminated and hurt by his teammates it did not stop him from his NHL career. Now Bailey is playing right wing for the Binghamton Senators, a farm team for the Ottawa Senators.