Don Cherry waded his way into controversy yet again on Saturday night, using his âCoachâs Cornerâ segment to take down immigrants during a rant about people who donât wear poppies for Remembrance Day.
While Cherry received swift criticism for referring to immigrants as âyou people,â many were quick to point out that the 85-year-old commentator wasnât the only one at fault.
Ron MacLean, who co-hosts with Cherry on âHockey Night in Canadaâ was called out for being complacent in Cherryâs rant, by sitting there and nodding while Cherry made statements like claiming ânobodyâ in Toronto and Mississauga, Ont. wears poppies.
On Sunday night, MacLean spoke out, opening his âHometown Hockeyâ show with an apology for Cherryâs statements and his own role in it.
âI wanted to address what happened on âHockey Night in Canada,â he said from Welland, Ont. âDon Cherry made remarks which were hurtful, discriminatory â which were flat-out wrong.â
âI owe you an apology too, thatâs the big thing I want to emphasize.â
MacLean then addressed that during Cherryâs rant he âsat there, did not catch it, did not respond.â
âLast night was a really great lesson to Don and me,â said the 59-year-old broadcaster. âWe were wrong and I sincerely apologize and I wanted to thank you for calling me and Don on that last night.â
Following Cherryâs statements, Sportsnet released an apology on Twitter Sunday calling them âdiscriminatoryâ and âoffensive.â The company emphasized that it doesnât represent their âvalues,â which MacLean reiterated in his statement.
âWe at Sportsnet have apologized, it certainly doesnât stand for what Sportsnet or Rogers represents,â MacLean said. âWe know diversity is the strength of the country. Weâve seen this in the travels in our show and with âHockey Night in Canada.ââ
MacLean also quoted Kathryn Teneese, the chairperson of the Ktunaxa Nation Council in British Columbia in his apology.
âł[She] once said in any wrongdoing the real key is recognition and acknowledgement and I wanted to let you know that first, and then you work on the relationship,â said MacLean.
âSo that it isnât divisive, so that something can be a unifying event, Idle No More was a great lesson to all of us,â he said, referencing the ongoing Indigenous movement protesting discriminatory legislation from the federal government.
Cherry has not released an apology himself. The CBC told HuffPost Canada that because Cherryâs show falls under Rogers Sportsnet, they have âno purview over any editorial content (choice of commentators or what they say) on âHockey Night in Canada.ââ
With files from Rebecca Zamon