[News] Bill Peters resigns as head coach. No longer part of Flames org. Ward interim HC

[Flame On]

Originally Posted by dino7c

Cost Peters his career, what more do you want

My guess is that if you're a young person of colour thinking about getting into sport and seeing equivocating going on with a charge of racism in the dressing room you might not look much more into hockey. No matter how "strong" others see it. Flames didn't end his career he did it on his own. What if he hadn't?

[sempuki]

These terrible politically motivated takes about Trudeau are terrible. Is blackface demeaning? Yes. Is it the same as saying N word in anger, straight to the face of a black person? Are you ####ing kidding me??

It's like *context* doesn't exist for some people. Like history doesn't exist. Or power balance.

Black people get to own a word that used to be used to make them property. If they want to use it twice on Sundays they can do whatever they want.

Context. I've sung rap lyrics. Among a bunch of white kids it's obvious the context is musical. Among a mixed group with black kids I read the room and told myself that word was off limits and never used it again. Context.

If Peters said the N word as a quote, something like "enough of this 'mother ####ing' music -- I like my mother", I understand the mistake. But he didn't own the mistake at the time and doubled down on it. I don't believe him when he says he apologized.

And the letter to Tre -- just terrible. Terrible. The Beaverton said it best.

Context.

[Ark2]

Originally Posted by belsarius

That’s BS. It’s not a left/right thing at all. It’s a holding people accountable and understanding growth. It’s also about context. Bill Maher came out and acknowledged what he said was wrong, apologized and followed up his next show with black guests that more or less informed his audience about the negativity of the word. Trudeau came out and apologized and recognized what he did was wrong, acknowledged that his privilege clouded his judgement at the time and apologized.

Peters did eventually issue an apology to Treliving for the situation. There was no apology to the player it affected. Even if he had apologized in the locker room 10 years ago he could have reiterated it toward Akim again. The same with Cherry, just double down that you agree with what you said.

If you want to call it a left/right divide then you have to admit the left owns up to their actions and try’s to improve and the right is unapologetic and stands by their actions regardless of how they wronged another. Personally I think this is NOT how to characterize the “left/right” political divide, and does nothing for the conversation.

I disagree. Do you think that if it was Scheer dressing in blackface he could have handled it like Trudeau did and not be forced to resign as party leader? If a right leaning radio talk show host said the N-word in the context that Maher did, no amount of apologizing would change his fate. He would be fired. Plain and simple.

As for owning their actions, Ralph Northam either dressed up in blackface or as a hooded Klansman (take your pick), denied it, and kept his job as governor of Virginia.

[transplant99]

Originally Posted by Strange Brew

For the Flames not to have written him a cheque and to be able to stand up there and say they want no part of someone like that in their organization.

I get why it happened this way. But no, it doesn’t feel that great.

The repudiation is now punted to the NHL.

This was absolutely the best way for the Flames to handle this thing.

They are covered legally from every angle and the ball is in someone else's court. Thats good for the team.

[Tron_fdc]

I'm sorry, but anyone who wanted a knee jerk firing and immediate, fully transparent opinions and facts at a televised press conference re said "termination" clearly does not understand even BASIC employee/employer relationships and laws.

I can guarantee you if there was as settlement it included a clause regarding discussing the details publicly. It's a waste of time trying to get these guys to talk about it, because they would end up in court if they did.

[Cecil Terwilliger]

Originally Posted by RichKlit

I didn't hear the question can you elaborate?

Pinder went out of his way to specifically mention that BT and the Flames haven’t used the word racist once and asked Brad if he thought that was the correct term to use to describe Peters’ comments.


Or something like that. My wording may be a bit off. T99 is right. It was a lame gotcha headline type question.

[dissentowner]

Can we please shut the hell up about politics?

[JohnnyB]

The Flames and Treliving have handled this well given the circumstances. Can't say I feel great about the fact that they hired the guy in the first place, and that's going to continue to be something that doesn't look to good on Treliving given the way the hiring was done and the fact that it was so targeted, but the response in the time since the accusations first started appearing has been professional. Glad for the team to move on from it. When Treliving is eventually not the GM in future (I'm not arguing he needs to go now, but he will eventually go), the last connections to this will be gone from the organization and the Flames should look just fine out of all this.

Glad that the team can move on. Curious who the next permanent head coach will be and excited that maybe the team can turn things around after this. I'm actually more optimistic about the team after this incident than I was before.

[saXon]

How about we close all 4 or 5 threads and move on.

[Bonded]

I don't get the take that the Flames should have gone up on stage and said we have fired that racist ####### of a coach and he is a terrible human being.

You still need to remain professional, murky trying to fire a guy for cause for something that happened a decade ago and then when he was with another organization. Can't open themselves up to a wrongful dismissal/defamation lawsuit. Firing people is tricky business in Canada.

[RichKlit]

Originally Posted by Cecil Terwilliger

Pinder went out of his way to specifically mention that BT and the Flames haven’t used the word racist once and asked Brad if he thought that was the correct term to use to describe Peters’ comments.


Or something like that. My wording may be a bit off. T99 is right. It was a lame gotcha headline type question.

Thank you.

[CSharp]

Originally Posted by Jiri Hrdina

Tree is a decent human being.

I hate to be in his position for the past few days. It's been tough. The questions that were asked asked during his live media coverage were difficult, no doubt, and Tre did a pretty good job. Pretty much, Tre and the Flames organization allowed Peters to step down with dignity and humility.

[Wolfman]

[dino7c]

Flames taking heat while his employer when this actually happened barely mentioned. Not enough click bait in Canada if they talk about the Chicago organization

[CaptainCrunch]

Originally Posted by transplant99

This was absolutely the best way for the Flames to handle this thing.

They are covered legally from every angle and the ball is in someone else's court. Thats good for the team.

I'd like to change your wording.

This is the absolutely only way for the Flames to handle this thing.

If they didn't get legal opinions and didn't handle this way, this whole situation could end up in the media and even in court for a long long time.

The NHL probably advised them with their legal council, the Flames had their own legal council and yes Bill Peters probably lawyered up. OF course this thing is going to be handled by Lawyers and negotiated.

the Flames at the end of the day have to protect themselves and their team.

Nailing Peter's to the wall and sending him off in disgrace and fired might sound like the cool thing to do, it might be what media talking heads might want because controversy creates cash.

It might have made some fans happy.

There's just a delusional sense out there that it would just be this easy. Bill you're a fracking racist, I'm going to publicly fire you and destroy you.

It can't be done, it would be equivalent to jamming my hand into molten lava to show that I'm tough and don't care what the ramifications are.

The Flames handled this properly, Tre was good through this whole thing.

He called Peter's actions repulsive.

Its onto the NHL left to put the hammer of disciplinary action now.

[FlamesAddiction]

It pretty much went down how I figured it would the moment the news broke. They would negotiate the terms of a resignation rather than fire him. It just makes it cleaner separation.

Glad it’s done. Here’s hoping Ward takes advantage of this opportunity. He has certainly paid his dues as a coach and he is taking over what should be a good team on paper. I liked his post game comments after the last game.

[Cecil Terwilliger]

Does this give Peters an opportunity to come out and truly apologize? Or does he quietly take his money and disappear?

I guess maybe he waits for the NHL thing and any legal action from Aliu to settle.

[lambeburger]

Originally Posted by GreenLantern2814

Can I point out that the policies and actions of Justin Trudeau are decidedly not racist? The fact that he's probably one of the two or three most pro-immigration/refugees/indigenous rights leaders of the 21st century gives him a little more grace in the eyes of the public when his sin is overcommitting to dress up.

Precisely, if you're woke enough, you get a pass when caught doing racist things.

[Flash Walken]

There are plenty of things you can't talk about in a structured settlement that prevents you from disparaging someone in that agreement, but I found the press conference lacking from a flames point of view and I don't think Treliving came across all that well with some of the questions.

I can see why some people are disappointed in how this was handled today from a Flames perspective. It felt like there was a lot of 'cover my ass' dismissal that was separate from any negotiated settlement.

[transplant99]

Originally Posted by JohnnyB

The Flames and Treliving have handled this well given the circumstances. Can't say I feel great about the fact that they hired the guy in the first place, and that's going to continue to be something that doesn't look to good on Treliving given the way the hiring was done and the fact that it was so targeted, but the response in the time since the accusations first started appearing has been professional. Glad for the team to move on from it. When Treliving is eventually not the GM in future (I'm not arguing he needs to go now, but he will eventually go), the last connections to this will be gone from the organization and the Flames should look just fine out of all this.

Glad that the team can move on. Curious who the next permanent head coach will be and excited that maybe the team can turn things around after this. I'm actually more optimistic about the team after this incident than I was before.

I simply cant wrap my head around this thought process.

How, 10 years after the fact, was Brad Treliving supposed to know what Bill Peters said to a hockey player in Illinois one morning after practice? How is this in ANY way attached to BT other than hiring a guy who he knew only as a hockey coach?

I really don't know what people expect...like should BT have contacted every single player that Bill Peters ever coached or every single person he ever worked with and ask them "did you ever hear BP utter racist words or see him kicking a player in the back"?

I mean I just dont get it.