Devils’ defenseman P.K. Subban found himself in the position of having to address alleged racist taunts aimed at his brother Jordan, a minor league hockey player for the South Carolina Stingrays.

The incident, according to ESPN, took place in the overtime period of game in Florida against the Jacksonville Icemen.

Jordan Subban tweeted that one of the Icemen, Jacob Panetta, mocked him as Subban tried to engage him in a fight; he tweeted that Panetta imitated a monkey:

For his part, Panetta tweeted that he told Subban that he was “only tough when the refs get involved” and then made a “tough-guy bodybuilder-like gesture toward him" that he says he has made to other players.

According to ESPN, Panetta said in his Twitter video (which has been since deleted), "My actions toward Jordan were not because of race, and were not intended as a racial gesture," he said. "I did not contemplate at the time that it would be received as a racial gesture, and I attempted to convey this to Jordan when we were sent to the dressing room during the game.”

The Icemen released Panetta the next day.

Big brother P.K. said at a news conference, “It's distasteful. There is no room for it in our game. I'm embarrassed because our game is better than this."

P.K. addressed the issue Sunday night after the Devils 3-2 loss to the LA Kings.

"I'd rather people focus on how we can change it and make it better, so the next kid that looks like P.K. Subban or Jordan Subban doesn't have to go through this," he said.

Opinions expressed in the post above are those of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Bill Doyle only.

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