Ducks Sued for Anti-Semitism by Former Draft Pick

[Konnan511 1,736]

23-year-old Jason Bailey -- a 3rd round NHL pick in 2005 -- claims from the moment the Ducks assigned him to play for an affiliate team called the Bakersfield Condors ... his coaches unleashed a "barrage of anti-Semitic, offensive and degrading verbal attacks."

In the suit, filed today in Orange County Superior Court, Bailey claims the head coach of the Condors told him "[Jews] only care about money and who's who" and that he "never wanted his son to be raised Jewish or to wear a Yarmulke."

...

According to the documents, Bailey complained to the Ducks about the hostile work environment -- and the team reacted by instructing the coaches to pen apology letters to Bailey in which they both admitted to using hurtful language.

Bailey was eventually traded to the Ottawa Senators in 2009 -- and insists the Ducks were "happy to be rid of him."

Bailey is suing for unspecified damages.

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Edited January 26, 2011 by Konnan511

[Gordie Howe hat trick 110]

You have to be kidding me on this one. I doubt very much that anyone in that organization would say anything like that to him that was all that bad. I'm sure he got worse ribbing in school for Christsake. Looks to me that he realizes he isn't good enough to keep this hockey thing going, so he better get as muxh as he can out of it right now.

[puckloo39 5,686]

He had the option to leave the hostile environment. I get a little tired of this constant litigious over-reaction to practically everything.

It makes me

[titanium2 867]

Wow... Anti-Semitism... How stupid can you be oh Mighty Ducks organization?

[Hockeytown0001 7,652]

You have to be kidding me on this one. I doubt very much that anyone in that organization would say anything like that to him that was all that bad. I'm sure he got worse ribbing in school for Christsake. Looks to me that he realizes he isn't good enough to keep this hockey thing going, so he better get as muxh as he can out of it right now.

I wouldn't go that far. There are people who will scream racism or what have you if you so much as look at them wrong, this doesn't sound like one of those instances. From the story -

In the suit, filed today in Orange County Superior Court, Bailey claims the head coach of the Condors told him "[Jews] only care about money and who's who" and that he "never wanted his son to be raised Jewish or to wear a Yarmulke."

[Konnan511 1,736]

Don't forget, the coaches in question, apologized as soon as bailey complained:

According to the documents, filed by Bailey's powerhouse lawyer Keith Fink, Bailey complained to the Ducks about the hostile work environment -- and the team reacted by instructing the coaches to pen apology letters to Bailey in which they both admitted to using hurtful language.

Also, form reading the article, the coach(s) never directed the remarks towards Bailey.

[Hockeytown0001 7,652]

Then again, I'm sure some hockey players could complain of a "hostile work environment" due to the foul language on the ice. That would be a scream.

[jollymania 162]

it is hockey, grow some balls

[Bring Back The Bruise Bros 1,029]

Holy s***, more poltical correctness. Get the hell over it. Willy O'Ree probably had it a million times worse. People are so sensitive it makes me sick.

[Selliria 76]

The kid is definitely too sensitive, but those kinds of remarks aren't very professional either. So while I think the player definitely needs to grow thicker skin, the coaching staff shouldn't be talking like that to begin with.

You have to keep a level of professionalism about you. Obviously the lines are going to be pushed because it's a high string emotional environment... but there's always a line... and it needs to be observed.

[Kayla Veres 7]

I think it's sad that most of you say this kid needs to 'grow balls'. What if this was Iginla saying that he had to endure the 'n' word by his coaches, or one of our many european players being called 'euro trash'. I understand foul language is used in sports by coaches all the time, but what he is claiming is racism. There should be absolutely no tolerance for race, ethnicity, sex, beliefs etc. to be used as weapons. It's one thing for a coach to tell you to get your head out of your you know what, but to disparage an entire group of people is horrific and shouldnt be excused or tolerated.

This sets a bad example for our sport, for the coaches that work hard to inspire and create amazing players. There is no reason any person should be subjected to what this man is claiming he went through. Jokes, stereotyping, racism isn't tolerated in many workplaces why should hockey or sports in general be exempt of that?

[Konnan511 1,736]

I think it's sad that most of you say this kid needs to 'grow balls'. What if this was Iginla saying that he had to endure the 'n' word by his coaches, or one of our many european players being called 'euro trash'. I understand foul language is used in sports by coaches all the time, but what he is claiming is racism. There should be absolutely no tolerance for race, ethnicity, sex, beliefs etc. to be used as weapons. It's one thing for a coach to tell you to get your head out of your you know what, but to disparage an entire group of people is horrific and shouldnt be excused or tolerated.

This sets a bad example for our sport, for the coaches that work hard to inspire and create amazing players. There is no reason any person should be subjected to what this man is claiming he went through. Jokes, stereotyping, racism isn't tolerated in many workplaces why should hockey or sports in general be exempt of that?

Just from reading the article, none of the language was directed at the kid, it was just said in his presence, which is still bad, but not something you sue someone over.

I'm 100% positive if anyone called Iginla a n*gger, regardless if it was his coach or manager, he'd punch them in the mouth.

The black and European players were called way worst things when they were breaking into the league, and that stuff was directed at and to them.

Plus, while playing sports, whenever a coach was mad at me or my play or if I did something stupid I heard all kinds of Irish slurs. Never got to me. "Too much spuds last night Kelly?", "Damn it Kelly, you're a Mick, hit someone like they stole your potato farm". Grow some skin.

Edited January 26, 2011 by Konnan511

[seeinred 1,488]

Brush it off, dude. These are just words. They can't hurt you. I heard worse from my coaches when I was a peewee.

That doesn't mean it's behavior that should be encouraged, but it's part of sports (especially hockey in my experience). I mean I guess if he wants to try to change the entire locker room culture, more power to him, but seriously... these are just words.

Edited January 26, 2011 by SeeinRed

[eva unit zero 271]

Just from reading the article, none of the language was directed at the kid, it was just said in his presence, which is still bad, but not something you sue someone over.

I'm 100% positive if anyone called Iginla a n*gger, regardless if it was his coach or manager, he'd punch them in the mouth.

The black and European players were called way worst things when they were breaking into the league, and that stuff was directed at and to them.

Plus, while playing sports, whenever a coach was mad at me or my play or if I did something stupid I heard all kinds of Irish slurs. Never got to me. "Too much spuds last night Kelly?", "Damn it Kelly, you're a Mick, hit someone like they stole your potato farm". Grow some skin.

So it's ok if Calgary's coaching staff uses the 'n' word in practice drills to refer to Byfuglien when the team is preparing for Atlanta? After all, it wasn't directed at Iginla, right?

Maybe you should punch yourself in the mouth.

EDIT: Furthermore, maybe the coach's racist views of Jews (only in it for money, etc.) affected his opinion of Bailey, and therefore affected Bailey's chances of any advancement.

Edited January 26, 2011 by eva unit zero

[Selliria 76]

I don't think most people understood the poll. The question wasn't "Should Bailey have gotten offended?" The question was "Were the comments of the coaching staff over the line?" So you're saying what they said was okay by voting no?

They clearly were over the line. Where's the professionalism in ANY of those statements, regardless of who they were directed towards? Sure, the kid is downright money reaching to sue the Ducks over this, but the Ducks definitely opened themselves up to getting taken advantage of this way by making the comments they did.

Edited January 26, 2011 by Selliria

[Matt 1,048]

I think it's sad that most of you say this kid needs to 'grow balls'. What if this was Iginla saying that he had to endure the 'n' word by his coaches, or one of our many european players being called 'euro trash'. I understand foul language is used in sports by coaches all the time, but what he is claiming is racism. There should be absolutely no tolerance for race, ethnicity, sex, beliefs etc. to be used as weapons. It's one thing for a coach to tell you to get your head out of your you know what, but to disparage an entire group of people is horrific and shouldnt be excused or tolerated.

This sets a bad example for our sport, for the coaches that work hard to inspire and create amazing players. There is no reason any person should be subjected to what this man is claiming he went through. Jokes, stereotyping, racism isn't tolerated in many workplaces why should hockey or sports in general be exempt of that?

^ This. It has no place in a workplace environment, especially with people that are part of management. Whether or not it was said to him directly or just "while he was in the room" doesn't matter. It has nothing to do with "growing a sack" or "that's hockey" or some other nonsense -- there's appropriate behavior and there's not. This isn't.

This isn't a bar conversation amongst friends -- this is where you work and try to earn your living and you shouldn't be subjected to ridicule because of your race, religion or sexual orientation. It doesn't appear that he was getting litigation-happy at first glance either, just that little to nothing was done (outside "internal matter" suspensions) and that it needed to be made a larger issue so the problem gets solved, not just brushed under a rug and forgotten.

I don't think it's "sad" that some people honestly think he needs to just "grow some balls" as the solution -- I think it's downright pathetic.

[Konnan511 1,736]

So it's ok if Calgary's coaching staff uses the 'n' word in practice drills to refer to Byfuglien when the team is preparing for Atlanta? After all, it wasn't directed at Iginla, right?

Maybe you should punch yourself in the mouth.

EDIT: Furthermore, maybe the coach's racist views of Jews (only in it for money, etc.) affected his opinion of Bailey, and therefore affected Bailey's chances of any advancement.

I appreciate your red herring, but if a lot of money wasn't spent on my teeth to have them be perfectly straight, then maybe i would punch myself in the mouth.

I said the use of the profane words were wrong. Maybe you should punch yourself in the mouth for all your fallacies in your post.

^ This. It has no place in a workplace environment, especially with people that are part of management. Whether or not it was said to him directly or just "while he was in the room" doesn't matter. It has nothing to do with "growing a sack" or "that's hockey" or some other nonsense -- there's appropriate behavior and there's not. This isn't.

This isn't a bar conversation amongst friends -- this is where you work and try to earn your living and you shouldn't be subjected to ridicule because of your race, religion or sexual orientation. It doesn't appear that he was getting litigation-happy at first glance either, just that little to nothing was done (outside "internal matter" suspensions) and that it needed to be made a larger issue so the problem gets solved, not just brushed under a rug and forgotten.

I don't think it's "sad" that some people honestly think he needs to just "grow some balls" as the solution -- I think it's downright pathetic.

We obviously all have our opinions. We've all been in rooms were someone was being completely an utterly ignorant and incredibly bigoted, but I've never walked up to the person and told them i was going to sue them.

If I heard someone ripping on the Irish, and I went up to them and told them to stop and apologize and they did, i certaintly wouldn't sue them later.

[Guest ToMaToToWnWinGsFaN_24]

hate to get off topic but it just fascinates me that this sport has gotten more and more diverse. i hope by 2050 africa will have a national hockey team ( i know itll never happen but one can dream)

and i agree with matt. you are in a workplace environment with many different cultures of people. you shouldve learned in school to play well and respect others especially if they have a different colour skin, speak a different language, or do a different kind of dance.

none of that should be tolerated at all under any circumstance.

[titanium2 867]

If I heard someone ripping on the Irish, and I went up to them and told them to stop and apologize and they did, i certaintly wouldn't sue them later.

Can't we all just get along?

[seeinred 1,488]

^ This. It has no place in a workplace environment, especially with people that are part of management. Whether or not it was said to him directly or just "while he was in the room" doesn't matter. It has nothing to do with "growing a sack" or "that's hockey" or some other nonsense -- there's appropriate behavior and there's not. This isn't.

This isn't a bar conversation amongst friends -- this is where you work and try to earn your living and you shouldn't be subjected to ridicule because of your race, religion or sexual orientation. It doesn't appear that he was getting litigation-happy at first glance either, just that little to nothing was done (outside "internal matter" suspensions) and that it needed to be made a larger issue so the problem gets solved, not just brushed under a rug and forgotten.

I don't think it's "sad" that some people honestly think he needs to just "grow some balls" as the solution -- I think it's downright pathetic.

I get that argument (and agree with most of it), but brushing it off is the easiest solution. It's not the best solution, I suppose, but it's a whole hell of a lot easier than changing people's racist/bigoted/sexist/whatever views. Like I said, more power to him if he can actually effect some change, but I just don't see it happening.

I guess what it comes down to for me is that I honestly can't comprehend how someone can let other people's words affect them negatively, especially in an environment where the profane and obscene are so common. But on the flipside, I also can't comprehend how someone, seeing that their words are hurting someone, wouldn't make an effort to at the very least tone it down, especially with how tight-knit hockey teams are.

[eva unit zero 271]

I appreciate your red herring, but if a lot of money wasn't spent on my teeth to have them be perfectly straight, then maybe i would punch myself in the mouth.

I said the use of the profane words were wrong. Maybe you should punch yourself in the mouth for all your fallacies in your post.

We obviously all have our opinions. We've all been in rooms were someone was being completely an utterly ignorant and incredibly bigoted, but I've never walked up to the person and told them i was going to sue them.

If I heard someone ripping on the Irish, and I went up to them and told them to stop and apologize and they did, i certaintly wouldn't sue them later.

What if A) that person was supervisor where you work, B)it was during work hours while both of you were on the clock, and C) the apology only came after you contacted the human resources department with a complaint.

This isn't just someone mentioning a dislike of Jews while a Jew is present. It's a professional hockey coach saying he doesn't like Jews while a player of his he knows is Jewish is present. That kind of conduct will get you fired immediately from most jobs.

[Konnan511 1,736]

What if A) that person was supervisor where you work, B)it was during work hours while both of you were on the clock, and C) the apology only came after you contacted the human resources department with a complaint.

This isn't just someone mentioning a dislike of Jews while a Jew is present. It's a professional hockey coach saying he doesn't like Jews while a player of his he knows is Jewish is present. That kind of conduct will get you fired immediately from most jobs.

I guess I have thicker skin than most. I don't condone what the coach said, but I also don't condone filing a lawsuit against him.

If I caught my boss making bigoted remarks towards my heritage, and I told our HR dept aka his wife, and he personally apologized and said his actions were wrong, the whole matter would die there.

[eva unit zero 271]

I guess I have thicker skin than most. I don't condone what the coach said, but I also don't condone filing a lawsuit against him.

If I caught my boss making bigoted remarks towards my heritage, and I told our HR dept aka his wife, and he personally apologized and said his actions were wrong, the whole matter would die there.

So he owns the business then? He couldn't fire himself, obviously. And you wouldn't want to lose your job. Kind of changes the dynamic.

I'm not claiming this kid should be in the NHL. He certainly hasn't shown that. But he was barely given the chance to play when he was in the ECHL. He played one season in the Ducks' system, seeing two games at the AHL level, and then he was traded before the next season. Sort of like they chose the bigoted coach over the Jewish kid.

The fact that they effectively traded him in response to his complaining only adds credibility to his suit regarding how far the bigoted comments went.

[Konnan511 1,736]

So he owns the business then? He couldn't fire himself, obviously. And you wouldn't want to lose your job. Kind of changes the dynamic.

I'm not claiming this kid should be in the NHL. He certainly hasn't shown that. But he was barely given the chance to play when he was in the ECHL. He played one season in the Ducks' system, seeing two games at the AHL level, and then he was traded before the next season. Sort of like they chose the bigoted coach over the Jewish kid.

The fact that they effectively traded him in response to his complaining only adds credibility to his suit regarding how far the bigoted comments went.

You're missing the point of what I'm saying. If i felt I was being belittled in any way, and that person who belittled me apologized and said he was wrong, the issue would be dead there.

Your last two sentences are huge assumptions and would be treated as such and wouldn't be able to be proven in court.

The kid sucked. he was terrible in college, terrible as an over-ager in the CHL and he is/was terrible as a pro. That's why he was in the ECHL and traded.

[RusDRW 155]

this NA culture of suing for everything is ******* pathetic. I wouldn't give a s*** about it though if it would have stayed there in NA. Now this stuff is coming to Europe and other parts of the world and people are starting sue for every single move.

like someone said here these are just words. That guy needs to play better if he wants to be proffessional athlete. Looks like he is extremely bad hockey player who decided to get easy money at the end of his pathetic career.

Edited January 26, 2011 by RusDRW