Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith issued a statement late Tuesday night after a Michigan State hockey player alleged a Buckeyes player directed a racial slur at him multiple times during a game earlier this month.
Spartans player Jagger Joshua, who is Black, shared his experience on social media from the Nov. 11 game at home in which the Spartans defeated the Buckeyes 4-3.
Joshua said an official in the game heard what the opposing player said and gave him a game misconduct penalty. The box score that day shows Ohio State senior forward Kamil Sadlocha was the only player given a game misconduct.
After reviewing the situation, Smith publicly apologized on behalf of Ohio State and announced that Sadlocha is not currently with the team.
“I want to offer my sincere and heartfelt apology to Jagger Joshua. On behalf of Ohio State University, I am so sorry,” Smith wrote. “No student or student-athlete should experience hatred or racism, and everyone should feel welcome. I have spoken with Michigan State athletic director Alan Haller, and I’m thankful Jagger is getting the support he needs.
“Over the last week, the department of athletics has worked through this on-ice incident and spoken with Kamil Sadlocha and the rest of the team, and Kamil is returning home and will not practice or compete at this time.
“I have met with the men’s hockey team and will be meeting with them again soon to discuss our values. The team will complete education on racial sensitivity, diversity, equity, inclusion and the use of respectful dialog. The department and I will support them through this important process.”