Zach Whitecloud forgives ESPN anchor for insensitive joke: ‘I carry my grandfather’s name’

The Athletic

EDMONTON — Zach Whitecloud, a Vegas Golden Knights defenseman and the first Indigenous NHL player from the Sioux Valley Dakota Nation, said on Tuesday that he forgave an ESPN anchor for an “obviously insensitive” joke about his last name.

John Anderson on Monday night questioned “what kind of name” Whitecloud was, and called it “a great name if you’re a toilet paper.”

Whitecloud, speaking to the media in a Rogers Place hallway, gave an answer: “I’m proud of my culture. I’m proud of where I come from, where I was raised, who I was raised by. I carry my grandfather’s last name, and nothing makes me more proud than to be able to do that.”

Undrafted and from a reservation community of about 1,000 in Manitoba, Whitecloud, 26, has spoken in the past about his heritage, his family and issues facing Indigenous people and First Nations hockey players.

His grandfather — the one whose name he carries — was a survivor of Canada’s residential school program for First Nations people, Whitecloud said in a 2022 Instagram post, as are his grandmother and uncle. Peter Whitecloud was Chief of the Sioux Valley Dakota Nation from 1968-70 and a longtime councillor, according to the SVDN website. He served in World War II.

A 4,000-page Canadian governmental report in 2021 detailed mistreatment at the schools, including emotional, physical and sexual abuse of children, and at least 4,100 deaths. Canada had more than 130 boarding schools, run mainly by churches with the last closing in 1996. For decades, most Indigenous children in Canada were taken from their families and forced into the schools. Many never returned.

The commission was initially created in response to the discovery of a mass grave on the former grounds of a school in British Columbia containing the remains of 215 children.

“I believe it is important for us all to educate ourselves on the history of the residential school program,” Whitecloud wrote in part in a June 2021 Instagram post. “We need to accept the uncomfortable fact that the schools are a significant part of our past and we need to acknowledge that they have caused significant trauma for thousands of Indigenous families. Many people believe that these programs and the unfair treatment towards indigenous people is ancient history, however that is not the case. These are problems that are in the here and now and still exist today.”


(Instagram / @zachwhitecloud)

Anderson on Tuesday released an apology: “This is totally on me and I sincerely apologize to Zach, the Golden Knights, their fans and everyone else for what I said. It’s my job to be prepared and know the backgrounds of the players and I blew it. I will be reaching out to the team to personally apologize and hope to have the opportunity to speak to Zack (sic) as well.”

An ESPN spokesperson, asked if there was any larger response to the remarks, referred The Athletic to Anderson’s statement.

Whitecloud said he made first contact with Anderson from the arena. “In our culture, we’re raised to be the first ones to reach out and offer our help. So that’s why I reached out to John this morning and wanted to make sure that he understood that I understood that people make mistakes,” Whitecloud said. “And he acknowledges that. He’s trying to move forward in the right direction and be better from it.”

On Tuesday afternoon, feet from where he spoke on Monday night after scoring a goal in Vegas’ 5-1 win over the Edmonton Oilers, Whitecloud acknowledged the difficulty of the conversation and the greater purpose he felt he was serving.

“Obviously, I don’t want to be in front of all you (reporters), talking about this. But with that comes an opportunity to allow not just John and myself, but everyone to learn from this incident. To move forward and make sure that these things don’t happen again. And I just want to make that point clear, too — John recognizes that.

“I believe he was sincere in his apology and I just wanted to reiterate to him that I was gonna be the first person to reach out my hand and offer help. Because people make mistakes, right? And it’s just a time for everyone to learn (and) move forward.”

Then, with tears in his eyes and a catch in his voice, Whitecloud excused himself and walked back to the dressing room.

In a statement provided to The Athletic, the Sioux Valley Dakota Nation said they “appreciated” Anderson’s “swift recognition of the issue and the subsequent apology” and offered “unwavering support” to Whitecloud, calling him “a source of great pride for our community, as he embraces his cultural heritage, upbringing, and the legacy of his grandfather’s last name.”

“We commend Zach for his strength in carrying our cultural traditions with him and for being the first to address this situation,” the statement read. “It is crucial to understand that derogatory remarks or jokes about Indigenous names or identities perpetuate harmful stereotypes and contribute to the marginalization of Indigenous peoples. While the apology from John Anderson and ESPN is appreciated, it is essential that we use this incident as an opportunity for education and growth.

“We hope that this incident serves as a learning lesson for all involved and encourages a deeper understanding of cultural sensitivity and respect. It is incumbent upon media organizations to recognize the impact of their words and actions and take steps to promote inclusivity and respect for all cultures.”

(Photo of Zach Whitecloud: Ethan Miller / Getty Images)

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Originally posted by [vid_author] at https://theathletic.com/4504292/2023/05/10/zach-whitecloud-nhl-espn-anchor/

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