Michigan State senior forward Jagger Joshua posted Monday on Twitter that he was the target of a racial slur in the Spartans’ Nov. 11 game against Ohio State.
Acts of racism do not belong in hockey.. pic.twitter.com/nm9AnIjSgV
— Jagger Joshua (@jaggerjoshua8) November 21, 2022
Monday, the Big Ten issued a statement:
“The Big Ten Conference is committed to providing our student-athletes inclusive environments free from acts of harassment or discrimination in any form. The safety and well-being of our campus communities remains our top priority.
“The conference office collected and evaluated information from the Big Ten Conference ice hockey officiating crew, The Ohio State University (OSU), Michigan State University (MSU), and available video footage stemming from an incident involving ice hockey student-athletes from both member institutions at Munn Ice Arena in East Lansing on November 11, 2022. The conference supports the decision by the official to levy a game misconduct penalty on OSU. Due to the absence of indisputable evidence presented to the conference, the conference has not imposed further disciplinary action.
“The conference is dedicated to listening and learning from our student-athletes, and our Equality Coalition. We will continue to work together to constructively and collectively create inclusive, empowering and accountability resources for our member institutions.”
Michigan State also posted a statement Monday evening:
Statements from Michigan State VP and Director of Athletics Alan Haller and hockey coach Adam Nightingale. pic.twitter.com/ajtmlCCscq
— Michigan State Athletics (@MSU_Athletics) November 21, 2022