The New York Rangers said they will look into a repeated racial slur that appeared during an online video chat with one of their prospects.
The word appeared when the Rangers hosted a Zoom Q&A Friday with K’Andre Miller, the University of Wisconsin defenseman who was their first-round pick in 2018 and agreed to terms with the team on March 16. The session was open to the first 500 who joined.
“A vile individual hijacked the chat to post racial slurs, which we disabled as soon as possible,” the Rangers said in a statement. “We were incredibly appalled by this behavior, which has no place online, on the ice, or anywhere, and we are investigating the matter.”
Miller, 20, signed an entry-level deal that will kick in next season. The 6-3, 206-pounder from St. Paul, Minnesota, had a career-best seven goals in his second season with Wisconsin.
The NHL called the racist taunts “cowardly.”
“The person who committed this despicable act is in no way an NHL fan and is not welcome in the hockey community,” the league said in a statement. “No one deserves to be subjected to such ugly treatment and it will not be tolerated in our league. We join with the Rangers in condemning this disgusting behavior.”
