Bill Peters' open apology to Treliving. UPD: Aliu responds

[Phaneuf_Phan]

What if Aliu was a punk and still is? He pushed all the right buttons and Peters lost his cool. Peters will pay the price for not keeping his temper under control. I don't feel sorry for Peters but I believe he regrets it.

[cannon7]

Originally Posted by Crown Royal

My father is a white man from South Africa who moved here because he fell in love with a black woman from South Africa. Your comparison is essentially telling me and everyone else that it's okay for people to threaten to murder my father, just because other white folks were terrible people. Thanks for that.

This didn't happen apparently. Sorry. It's a dog whistle or something. And we're both white nationalists because reasons.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by GreenLantern2814

Find me an album track where Eminem says the N-word.

He's admitted he said it (not recorded IIRC), but only because it was how he thought the music went. He was learned better, didn't do it thereafter, and speaks out against any non-black rapper that does.

[nik-]

Originally Posted by Phaneuf_Phan

What if Aliu was a punk and still is? He pushed all the right buttons and Peters lost his cool. Peters will pay the price for not keeping his temper under control. I don't feel sorry for Peters but I believe he regrets it.

Lots of people can lose their cool without dropping N-bombs. It's not about his temper.

[Housley4Prez]

Originally Posted by PsYcNeT

Sometimes you gotta ask yourself why the conversation went down that tangent in the first place, and how relevant it is to the topic at hand.

Here's an example of how it could've gotten way out of hand quickly.

Take a look at these lyrics... https://bit.ly/2L3sLtW

Lil Jon was still popular at the time, so imagine this song (or another song like it) is playing in the dressing room. We don't know if this is the first time it's being played, and we don't know if it's the first time being addressed... but a song such as this could possibly have been the type of song in question.

In a moment of extreme frustration, Peters lashes out against the music, pointing out his issue with the lyrics. He does it in an incredibly insensitive way, but he does it.

It could very well be that Peters saw what he was saying as an attack on the music itself.

But to Aliu, when he heard "turn off that n----- music" he took it as "turn off that music, n-----"... which left him in shock. Rightfully so.

Oblivious, Peters could have feasibly seen this as his way of showing how offensive the music was to himself. Who knows?

Should he be fired? Absolutely. No walking back from this.

But there's also a very plausible explanation for this that allows both parties to be harmed by a miscommunication.

Now, the letter states that he apologized to the room. Aliu didn't mention that in the tweets nor in the TSN article.

It's arguably more likely that Peters stupidly called n----- music, on account of the amount of times that word was used in the song, than some deep seated evil racist rage.

Remember the episode of the Simpsons where Homer grabbed that gummy Venus de Milo off the babysitter's butt... and the whole world came down on Homer thinking he was some sort of monster?

Now, this doesn't explain the kicking and the punching... but what does wrap it together is a man with anger management issues, and woefully inept racial sensitivity.

He has coached players of colour at every level. This is the first and only charge of racism made against him. It's serious. But it could've been way, waaaaaay worse... had he actually said, "turn that music off, n-bomb". The reactions on social media sure make it seem that's what he actually said.

[GreenLantern2814]

Originally Posted by Crown Royal

Funny that you put "album track" when it is widely known that there is an underground track where Em does use the N-word. Hell he even has an "album track" talking about it and apologizing.

Right. So if Eminem knows he can't say it, and has apologized, and subsequently never said it in music he was profiting off, doesn't that tell you something?

[Torture]

Originally Posted by Phaneuf_Phan

What if Aliu was a punk and still is? He pushed all the right buttons and Peters lost his cool. Peters will pay the price for not keeping his temper under control. I don't feel sorry for Peters but I believe he regrets it.

Aliu was a kid and it doesn't really matter if he was a punk. Peters was (is) an adult and the leader in the dressing room. If Aliu was a punk it doesn't make it okay to say racist things and he should have known better.

[GreenLantern2814]

Originally Posted by Phaneuf_Phan

What if Aliu was a punk and still is? He pushed all the right buttons and Peters lost his cool. Peters will pay the price for not keeping his temper under control. I don't feel sorry for Peters but I believe he regrets it.

I don't care if Aliu is a 'punk' - you can't use N-bombs to dress him down a) at all and b) especially not in front of his teammates to humiliate him.

I understand not liking rap music. I understand not being comfortable with words. But someone who's simply uncomfortable with it doesn't do what Peters did to Aliu.

[kukkudo]

Originally Posted by Phaneuf_Phan

What if Aliu was a punk and still is? He pushed all the right buttons and Peters lost his cool. Peters will pay the price for not keeping his temper under control. I don't feel sorry for Peters but I believe he regrets it.

It does not matter. I don't think you're getting it.

[pepper24]

Originally Posted by Phaneuf_Phan

What if Aliu was a punk and still is? He pushed all the right buttons and Peters lost his cool. Peters will pay the price for not keeping his temper under control. I don't feel sorry for Peters but I believe he regrets it.

Aliu has a long reputation of being a difficult team mate. If Peters lost his cool without using racist remarks we're probably not talking about this incident. It's just another dressing room incident.

I also think that the racist remarks were targeted towards the music not the player. Either way, those words should not be said in any circumstance.

[troutman]

Originally Posted by Tron_fdc

I'm curious if there is any other case where an NHL team has terminated a coach with cause and no pay? We all throw around the term "fired the coach" but it's not really a firing; it's more so "bought out" than terminated. Terminated to me means fired with cause, no pay.

Pretty sure Burke said last night this is uncharted territory.

I don't know if the following were fired without pay?

Woody Hayes was fired by Ohio State for punching a Clemson player .

Mike Rice was fired by Rutgers for verbally and physically abusing players.

Joe Paterno was fired by Penn State for covering up sexual abuse.

Bobby Knight was fired by Indiana for choking a player.

[burn_this_city]

Some depressing narratives being pushed here.

[Crown Royal]

Originally Posted by GioforPM

He's admitted he said it (not recorded IIRC), but only because it was how he thought the music went. He was learned better, didn't do it thereafter, and speaks out against any non-black rapper that does.

Wasn't it recorded and released by Benzino during their beef? That is what I recall happening.

[Aarongavey]

Originally Posted by cannon7

This didn't happen apparently. Sorry. It's a dog whistle or something. And we're both white nationalists because reasons.

So is this you admitting that it is not happening and that you were either misinformed or made it up? Because it is not happening, what you said is happening is not happening.

[btimbit]

Originally Posted by Torture

Aliu was a kid and it doesn't really matter if he was a punk. Peters was (is) an adult and the leader in the dressing room. If Aliu was a punk it doesn't make it okay to say racist things and he should have known better.

He is a punk, that doesn't come close to making this okay though

[btimbit]

Originally Posted by troutman

I don't know if the following were fired without pay?

Woody Hayes was fired by Ohio State for punching a Clemson player .

Mike Rice was fired by Rutgers for verbally and physically abusing players.

Joe Paterno was fired by Penn State for covering up sexual abuse.


Bobby Knight was fired by Indiana for choking a player.

He did specify the NHL, but also a big part of it is that it happened when he was employed by other organizations

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by Housley4Prez

Here's an example of how it could've gotten way out of hand quickly.

Take a look at these lyrics... https://bit.ly/2L3sLtW

Lil Jon was still popular at the time, so imagine this song (or another song like it) is playing in the dressing room. We don't know if this is the first time it's being played, and we don't know if it's the first time being addressed... but a song such as this could possibly have been the type of song in question.

In a moment of extreme frustration, Peters lashes out against the music, pointing out his issue with the lyrics. He does it in an incredibly insensitive way, but he does it.

It could very well be that Peters saw what he was saying as an attack on the music itself.

But to Aliu, when he heard "turn off that n----- music" he took it as "turn off that music, n-----"... which left him in shock. Rightfully so.

Oblivious, Peters could have feasibly seen this as his way of showing how offensive the music was to himself. Who knows?

Should he be fired? Absolutely. No walking back from this.

But there's also a very plausible explanation for this that allows both parties to be harmed by a miscommunication.

Now, the letter states that he apologized to the room. Aliu didn't mention that in the tweets nor in the TSN article.

It's arguably more likely that Peters stupidly called n----- music, on account of the amount of times that word was used in the song, than some deep seated evil racist rage.

Remember the episode of the Simpsons where Homer grabbed that gummy Venus de Milo off the babysitter's butt... and the whole world came down on Homer thinking he was some sort of monster?

Now, this doesn't explain the kicking and the punching... but what does wrap it together is a man with anger management issues, and woefully inept racial sensitivity.

He has coached players of colour at every level. This is the first and only charge of racism made against him. It's serious. But it could've been way, waaaaaay worse... had he actually said, "turn that music off, n-bomb". The reactions on social media sure make it seem that's what he actually said.

I don't think its "more likely". I think it's a real stretch. As people here have said, it's a term that's been used for rap music, not because it contains the word, it's because it's music by and for black people. It's also almost certainly the case that he knew who was playing it, for the reasons set out before. Which makes his words more pointed.

And he's coached players of colour without incident? First, as we know, it takes years for these things to surface. Second, you can be racist and only have it show when dealing with a person you dislike. Things said out of anger aren't unreflective of your feelings necessarily. They are things you've said because you removed your filter.

And if he's not a racist but still used those words directed at Aliu? It makes him a terrible person who used the worst words he could think of to humiliate Aliu.

[Crown Royal]

Originally Posted by GreenLantern2814

I don't care if Aliu is a 'punk' - you can't use N-bombs to dress him down a) at all and b) especially not in front of his teammates to humiliate him.

I understand not liking rap music. I understand not being comfortable with words. But someone who's simply uncomfortable with it doesn't do what Peters did to Aliu.

I was making fun of you saying "album track" because you were clearly cherry picking and for the record, rappers make money off songs not on albums too, probably more than many other genres. I never read your other posts to even know what point you were trying to argue.

[Boreal]

Originally Posted by Meers

Take five minutes to meditate. Try to quiet the judgmental voice in your head. Call your mother. Pay for someone else’s coffee. Compliment a colleague’s work.

Then consider the number of times you may have said a rushed or hurtful thing in the past.

Without sober second thought we descend into mob justice.

I did exactly that.

Then this sober second thought came to mind.

If Bill will use this language in a dressing room, and has to be called out by his players... I wonder what kind of language Bill Peters uses when he’s around his friends and colleagues. Racial stereotypes and language don’t arise out of thin air.

I acknowledge that he’s probably grown as a person in 10 years, but that doesn’t change how he hurt people in the past and hasn’t atoned for it.

Yeah we all make mistakes & have regrets. The solution is to own them. As soon as possible, in the moment. It’s always the coverup that gets treated worse than the actual act.

He didn’t handle the incidents adequately. He’s learning a hard lesson now.

How you treat people on your way up is how they will treat you on your way down.

[Housley4Prez]

Originally Posted by GreenLantern2814

I don't care if Aliu is a 'punk' - you can't use N-bombs to dress him down a) at all and b) especially not in front of his teammates to humiliate him.

I understand not liking rap music. I understand not being comfortable with words. But someone who's simply uncomfortable with it doesn't do what Peters did to Aliu.

Agreed. Under no circumstances is this professionally or socially acceptable.

He should've merely told Aliu to turn off the music or wear headphones, instead of trying to shock him by quoting lyrics from the song in question.

If someone was playing the infamous Chris Rock "black people vs n-----s" bit on repeat in the dressing room, and someone lost their cool and said, "I'm sick of that n----- bit, turn that n----- bit off!" That would be the stupidest way to address it, and easily the most offensive way to describe the bit. That clearly can be explained with ignorance, and less malice.

But it's very easy to see how the takeaway could be three fold:
1. n----- bit refers to the bit using the word n----- so much
2. n----- bit refers callously to the comedian telling the bit
3. n----- bit refers to the person playing the bit in the first place

From the letter, BP wants us to believe it was 1. Aliu's tweets make it seem he took it as 3. Most people on social media are taking it as 2 or 3, and reacting as if it was 4.... "turn off that bit, n-----"