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ESPN SportsCenter anchor John Anderson apologized to Zach Whitecloud this week after he compared the Vegas Golden Knights defenseman's last name to toilet paper on Monday night.
“What kind of name is Whitecloud?” Anderson remarked during the highlights. “A great name if you're a toilet paper.”
The comment drew ire from across the hockey world and beyond, even being condemned by actor Mark Ruffalo on social media on Wednesday:
Open and outward racism goes unchecked toward our Indigenous family in the USA & normalized on @espn by people like announcer John Anderson who viciously mocks pro hockey player @ZachWhitecloud’s name. This kind of behavior should be punished & called out for the racism it is. pic.twitter.com/915jr80lzg
— Mark Ruffalo (@MarkRuffalo) May 10, 2023
“This is totally on me and I sincerely apologize to Zach, the Golden Knights, their fans and everyone else for what I said,” Anderson said in a statement, per AP. “It's my job to be prepared and know the backgrounds of the players and I blew it.”
Whitecloud is a First Nation member in Canada, and the first Indigenous NHL player from the Sioux Valley Dakota Nation. The 26-year-old told reporters in Edmonton that he spoke with Anderson on Tuesday morning.
“I think it was an attempt at humor that came out as being obviously insensitive, and he acknowledges that,” Whitecloud said, per Associated Press.
“He understands that it was wrong to say. I wanted to make sure he knew that I accepted his apology. People make mistakes, and this is a scenario where not just John but everyone can learn from and move forward in a positive direction.”
The comments came after Whitecloud scored a great goal in the Knights' 5-1 victory over the Oilers in Game 3 on Monday night. It's a perfect response from Whitecloud, who has been an important addition to Vegas' blueline and a clean player throughout his career.
He became emotional while discussing his heritage and First Nation background.
“I'm proud of my culture,” Golden Knights' Zach Whitecloud said. “I'm proud of where I come from and 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. In our culture, we were raised to be the first ones to reach out and offer help, so that's why I reached out to John this morning.”