Don Cherry fired by Sportsnet over 'you people' rant on Coach’s Corner
Cherry, 85, had singled out new immigrants for not wearing poppies to honour Canada’s veterans and dead soldiers
Sportsnet has confirmed that Don Cherry has been fired from Hockey Night in Canada over recent remarks that caused uproar.
Cherry, 85, had singled out new immigrants in Toronto and Mississauga, Ont., where he lives, for not honouring Canada’s veterans and dead soldiers.
“You people … you love our way of life, you love our milk and honey, at least you can pay a couple bucks for a poppy or something like that,” Cherry said Saturday night on the popular “Coach’s Corner” segment. “These guys paid for your way of life that you enjoy in Canada, these guys paid the biggest price.”
In a statement issued on Twitter Monday afternoon, Sportsnet said that after discussions with Cherry, it had been decided that it was “the right time” for him to go. Cherry, however, is unrepentant, telling the Toronto Sun Monday that he meant every word he said.
“Sports brings people together — it unites us, not divides us,” the statement from Bart Yabsley, Sportsnet president, said. “Following further discussions with Don Cherry after Saturday night’s broadcast, it has been decided it is the right time for him to immediately step down.
“During the broadcast, he made divisive remarks that do not represent our values or what we stand for. Don is synonymous with hockey and has played an integral role in growing the game over the past 40 years. We would like to thank Don for his contributions to hockey and sports broadcasting in Canada.”
The Toronto Sun’s Joe Warmington was among the first to report the news about the firing on Monday. Cherry told Warmington that he was hurt to be fired today of all days, given it is Remembrance Day.
“I have just learned I’ve been fired by Sportsnet for comments made on Coach’s Corner Nov. 9,” Cherry told Warmington. “No problem.”
“I know what I said and I meant it. Everybody in Canada should wear a poppy to honour our fallen soldiers.”
“I speak the truth and I walk the walk. I have visited the bases of the troops, been to Afghanistan with our brave soldiers at Christmas, been to cemeteries of our fallen around the world and honoured our fallen troops on Coach’s Corner.”
The commentator’s outburst had sparked a swift backlash from the public, politicians and the National Hockey League.
The league said in a statement that Cherry’s remarks were “offensive and contrary to the values we believe in.” Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie called his comments “despicable.”
“We’re proud of diverse cultural heritage and we’ll always stand up for it,” she said on Twitter. “New immigrants enrich our country for the better. We’re all Canadians and wear our poppies proudly.”
Contacted by the National Post Monday, Calgary Flames head coach Bill Peters said:
“I saw it (Monday) and we talked about it. Our country is based on inclusion. We have a very diverse country. We have a wonderful country. We’re all proud of our veterans and people who currently serve. I know the hockey community, we talk about hockey is for everybody. And that’s how we are in the country of Canada, too.”
Sponsor Budweiser also weighed in, telling the Post in a statement that they respected Sportsnet’s call.
“The comments made Saturday on Coach’s Corner were clearly inappropriate and divisive, and in no way reflect Budweiser’s views. As a sponsor of the broadcast, we immediately expressed our concerns and respect the decision which was made by Sportsnet today.”
It emerged Monday that the Canadian Broadcasting Standards Council had been so overloaded with complaints about the hockey commentator’s rant that it hit the limit of the organization’s technical processing capacity.
“The CBSC has received a large number of very similar complaints concerning Coach’s Corner broadcast on CBC (Sportsnet) on November 9, 2019, exceeding the CBSC’s technical processing capacities,” the CBSC said on its website.
“Accordingly, while the CBSC will be dealing with this broadcast under its normal process, it is not able to accept any further complaints.”
The CBSC is a self-regulatory organization created by Canada’s private broadcasters to deal with complaints from viewers or listeners about programs they have seen or heard broadcast on a participating station.
Cherry’s cohost, Ron MacLean, had also been criticized for sitting idly beside Cherry as he went on the rant. People criticized MacLean for his complacency, pushing the cohost to issue an apology.
“Don Cherry made remarks which were hurtful, discriminatory — which were flat out wrong. We at Sportsnet have apologized,” MacLean said during the opening of Hometown Hockey on Sunday.
“We know that diversity is a strength of the country. … I owe you an apology too. I sat there, did not catch it, did not respond. … We were wrong and I sincerely apologize. And I wanted to thank you for calling me and Don on that last night.”
Before the ultimate decision to let Cherry go, Sportsnet’s Yabsley had provided an initial statement on Sunday morning.
“We have spoken with Don about the severity of this issue and we sincerely apologize for these divisive remarks,” he said.
I remember when I first started on Coach’s Corner we weren’t even allowed to say Merry Christmas on air
Cherry has not yet returned a National Post request for comment about his firing, but has previously been forthright about his views on military service.
“I am a right winger to the extreme,” Cherry told the Post’s Joe O’Connor in a 2012 profile.
“But I really believe that how this country feels about service, about its importance — and about crime — people are sick of crime and they are proud of their military, not to the extent they should be, but they are more proud of their troops than ever.”
“I remember when I first started on Coach’s Corner we weren’t even allowed to say Merry Christmas on air — we were told to say Season’s Greetings, and that has changed.
“And the military, it was pretty well on the ropes for a long time with our government but now, when you see a trooper in the airport you see people go up and shake their hand.
“Things have changed and I would say for the better.”
Rumours had circulated about the possibility of Cherry being cut from “Coach’s Corner” earlier this year after a Toronto Sun columnist wrote that his return to the show had not been confirmed by the summer.
Cherry said at the time that he was not retiring from the decades-old show yet.
Hockey Night in Canada was a longtime CBC Saturday night staple, but the show and its games moved to Sportsnet when Rogers landed a 12-year, $5.2 billion national broadcast rights deal with the NHL that began in 2014.
The show is still broadcast on CBC in a sub-licensing deal with Rogers Media, which owns Sportsnet. But the show is run by Sportsnet and filmed in its studio in the CBC building in Toronto.
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