Letter From Coach Jeffrey Murphy

As a coach, and a parent of a son on the Newmarket Renegades, I acknowledge the hurt
experienced by Mrs. Giasson and her son during the game that took place on Saturday March
26, 2022, between the Newmarket Renegades and the TNT Tornadoes.
I do not condone or accept any form of racism or discrimination and I strive to be
actively anti-racist, as well as an ally to all. While my team and I never intended to hurt anyone,
I acknowledge and accept that as the team’s coach, I should have been more aware and
sensitive to the unintended negative connotations that the team’s actions carried and how it
could cause harm to others. Furthermore, I understand that regardless of our intentions,
someone was hurt by my team’s conduct and that should not have happened. I am deeply
saddened by the hurt that has been caused.
I have apologized to Mrs. Giasson and her son, in the hopes of moving forward.
Furthermore, I have also asked for the opportunity to apologize to both of them in person. In
addition, the players on my team are absolutely devastated at the thought that their actions
have hurt this young boy or anyone else. The players, prior to the season starting, signed a
Code of Conduct pledging to respect one another and fellow players on and off the ice and
take this pledge very seriously, as do I.
Lastly, I would like to describe the events that transpired at the game last Saturday not
as an excuse, but as an explanation.
My wife placed a grocery order for our family using Instacart. Through this delivery
site, my wife meant to order one bunch consisting of four bananas for our family. However,
she accidentally ordered four bunches of bananas by mistake. My wife did not want the
bananas to go to waste, so she asked me to bring two bunches to the Newmarket Renegades
game on Saturday for the players on the team to enjoy as a snack either before or after the
game. My wife also brought some bananas to our daughter’s hockey game for her team to
enjoy.
When the players entered the changeroom to get ready for the game on Saturday, my
assistant coach and I let the team know that there were bananas available as a snack if they
wanted one. The majority of the players took a banana and came out to the rink to eat them on
the bench.
Before the game stated, I noticed that there was only one banana left so I hung it on the
towel rack in the changeroom. The players joked that the banana should have a name on it for
the player of the game. My assistant coach and I asked the team if they wanted to receive the
banana instead of the hockey stick painted and taped like a candy cane for player of the game,
which the players all sign at the end of the game. They laughed and said yes. I then gave the
leftover banana to the team manager to hold onto as we were leaving the changeroom so it
wouldn’t get stepped on or thrown out. The manager then stood in front of the glass and placed
the banana on the ledge of the glass for safekeeping.
The father of one of the players on the team noticed the banana and decided to tape it
to the glass as a good luck charm. In the picture that Ms. Giasson posted on Facebook, you can
see my wife and my 14-year old daughter adjusting the tape on the banana after it had fallen
from the glass. However, as I mentioned, the banana was initially taped on the glass by another
parent, not my wife and 14-year old daughter.
After the game was over and the Newmarket Renegades won, the players on our team
cheered the banana for bringing them good luck. The banana was then given to the player of
the game and all the players signed the banana.
Accordingly, this incident with the banana arose out of a series of bad decisions that
failed to recognize how such behaviour could understandably be viewed as being racially
motivated or driven and/or that it was directed at this young boy or other individuals of colour
at the game. Again, this was poor decision making on my part and I wish it did not happen.
Neither I, nor anyone else on the team, including the parents, were targeting this young
boy in any manner or any other person of colour. As I said, I do not condone or allow for
racism or discrimination in any form and if I had made the connection at the time to the
negative connotations associated with the banana, I would never would have allowed for any
of this to occur. I truly wish this never happened and I am sickened at the thought that my
actions or inactions caused anyone any pain.
Furthermore, my son, daughter and the rest of the children on the team are absolutely
devastated at the thought that others may believe that their actions were racially motivated or
that they intentionally targeted this young boy, or anyone else, as this was absolutely not the
case.
It is my goal to fix that damage that has been caused and ensure that we can all move
forward and continue supporting all members of youth minor hockey, while ensuring that
something like this never happens again.

Letter From Coach Jeffrey Murphy

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As a coach, and a parent of a son on the Newmarket Renegades, I acknowledge the hurt

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