PHILADELPHIA — When the bombshell racial rants allegedly made by Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling became public, the words hit Flyers forward Wayne Simmonds harder than a bone-jarring check into the boards.
Simmonds, one of fewer than 30 players of African-American heritage currently playing in the NHL, once had a banana peel thrown in his path during a 2011 exhibition-game shootout against the Red Wings in Ontario.
“I’m kind of a fly in a bucket of milk here,’’ Simmonds said after Tuesday’s morning skate in preparation for Game 6 against the Rangers at the Wells Fargo Center. “There are not too many guys who are African-American playing in the league. Obviously, we have our share of players, but I think we’re in a different situation here than with Donald Sterling,” referring to the racial composition of the NBA.
Simmonds called the Sterling situation “unfortunate,’’ adding, “Obviously, you want the owner of your team to stand behind you and not to have that kind of outlook on life, but you can’t really change someone’s opinion.’’
Simmonds said he was “not really” shocked to hear that kind of ignorant sentiment attributed to a team owner.
“I’d like to say, ‘Yeah,’ but I’ve had enough things happen to me and seen a million things in this world that nothing shocks me right now,’’ Simmonds said.
Asked if he would have a problem playing for an owner like that, Simmonds said, “Definitely. One hundred percent.’’
And he had a firm answer when asked what he would do to Sterling if he were commissioner.
“Make him sell the team,” Simmonds said. “Get him out of there. Knowing basketball is obviously is a predominately black sport and when you have an owner who is voicing his opinion that way … the coach is black … I’ve heard he’s had people in management quit because of his opinions.
“It’s really unfortunate, because we live in a world today where there should be no color,’’ Simmonds went on. “You should judge a person by their inside and not by the way that they look, by their appearance. It just sucks that’s the way it is right now.’’
Flyers backup goalie Ray Emery, who played the first three games of the Rangers series, also is black and was appalled by Sterling.
“He said those things, and it’s kind of disappointing,’’ Emery said. “For someone of a position of power, I definitely think the league has to protect itself from people like that and make an example of that guy.’’
Emery said “a positive’’ has come from the outrage over the issue.
“The reaction is that it is not tolerable and everyone wants some action taken against him,’’ he said.
“I’m a goalie. I don’t know what they can do or whether they can make him sell the team. I’m sure it’s a tough decision for [the commissioner] to make. Hopefully, it’s a significant punishment.’’