The Flyers expressed remorse Tuesday night after disparaging comments about a reporter's question were heard on a recording of a press conference that was posted to the team's Twitter account.
The tweet, which was deleted, featured a delayed live stream of free-agent signing Garnet Hathaway's introductory press conference on Zoom.
The Philadelphia Inquirer's Giana Han opened the press conference by asking Hathaway, a 31-year-old veteran, about his interest in the Flyers' rebuild. The background remarks — spotted in the recording released on the Flyers' Twitter account — were made by members of the team's social media staff, according to a statement from the organization.
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Flyers president of hockey operations Keith Jones made the following statement via the team's Twitter account:
“Earlier today, our team’s social media account streamed a recording of a virtual press conference which included disrespectful remarks by members of our social media staff. On behalf of the entire Flyers organization, I want to extend our apologies. Any disrespect towards reporters is completely unacceptable, especially when they are simply doing their job. We have reached out to the reporter and outlet personally to express our regret, and will continue to promote an environment of mutual respect when working with the media.”
The video of the incident was posted on social media via the Twitter account Lights Out Hockey.
Warning: The video below contains profanity.
NHL
Hathaway and those running the press conference could not hear the comments, nor could the reporters on the Zoom.