ATLANTA — A public announcer has been fired after making an "insensitive remark" about Georgia Swarm player Lyle Thompson -- the team's lead scorer who is Native American.
A clip on social media from the Jan. 12 against the Philadelphia Wings captured the comment made by the public address announcer, Shawny Hill, who can be heard saying, "let's snip the ponytail right here" while Thompson ran with the ball. Thompson also claimed fans said they were going to "scalp" him.
A Philadelphia-based sportswriter tweeted that the announcer said, "clip that pony tail," every time Thompson touched the ball.
"And the crowd on more than one occasion cheered scalp! scalp! scalp," he tweeted.
The Swarm won the game 13 to 11 to remain the National Lacrosse League's only undefeated team this season, but Hill's comments overshadowed the victory.
After the game, Thompson tweeted:
"2019 and the @NLLwings arena announcer saying “let’s snip the pony tail” to the whole arena and fans saying they’re going to scalp me..."
He added, "I know Philly takes pride in their ruthless fans but I didn’t know it was like that lol.... now I know.. just haven’t heard stuff like this since HS."
Thompson tweeted Monday that he did not hear fans chanting about scalping, but he heard it from two people sitting behind the team's bench.
Fellow Swarm player Brendan Bomberry tweeted, "Great game and atmosphere @NLLwings but it was overshadowed by your in game announcer's comments towards my teammates, "let's snip the braid" was disgusting and reality for my ancestors when they were forced into Christian residential schools."
Thompson has worn a long braid while playing lacrosse for his entire career. He recently wrote on Instagram about his braid and how it always starts conversations. In the Nov. 6 post, he said his hair connects him to his ancestors and allows him to carry their Native American traditions.
When Thompson signed a 2-year-deal with the Swarm in 2015 a Thompson bobblehead was made for season ticket holders, featuring "a Bobble-Braid to showcase Thompson's signature ponytail."
Two of Thompson's brothers, Miles and Jerome, also play for the Swarm. A team article from 2016 showed the trio all with long braids.
On Sunday, The Wings posted a statement on its social media accounts:
"The Philadelphia Wings are deeply apologetic for the insensitive words that were chosen by our in-arena host during last night's game against the Georgia Swarm. We immediately addressed this inadvertent yet offensive occurrence and are taking the situation very seriously. The Wings do not tolerate discrimination of any sort and are taking swift disciplinary and educational measures to ensure that this does not happen again."
The team also Tweeted a statement from the PA Shawny Hill.
Hill wrote he is "deeply sorry for my insensitive statements during last night's game. My words were poorly chosen and were not intended as racially motivated. I understand the profound hurt my words have caused. I offer my sincere apology. My words do not reflect my personal beliefs, but represent a lack of knowledge on heritage and history. I am in the process of reaching out to speak directly to the Thompson brothers in hopes of providing a direct apology."
Later in the afternoon, the Wings announced that Hill was "permanently removed" from his position with the team:
"Shawny Hill has been permanently removed from his role with the Philadelphia Wings and has been suspended from all in-arena announcing assignments at the Wells Fargo Center. In addition, the Wings are working closely with the National Lacrosse League to implement ongoing diversity training for all employees which will include a focus on the Native North American roots and traditions of the sport. The Wings remain deeply apologetic for the offensive comments that overshadowed Saturday night’s game and are fully committed to furthering a culture of respect."
The NLL tweeted a statement mentioning the league's zero tolerance policy for any derogatory or discriminatory statements. The league vowed to swiftly take necessary disciplinary actions.
Georgia Swarm sent 11Alive the following statement regarding the incident in Philadelphia:
"We stand behind all of our players, and in this particular instance, we stand in unity with Lyle, the entire Thompson family and all of our Native players who were negatively impacted by the derogatory comment that was made Saturday night in Philadelphia. The comment that was made will not be tolerated and does not reflect the core values of our league or the great sport of lacrosse.
"The Swarm is proud to have seven Native athletes on our roster. Lacrosse is a Native sport, and is built on strong values and sportsmanship. The Swarm is proud to host our long-standing Native Heritage Night every season to honor the sport, and to help educate our fanbase on the history and tradition of the game.
"We are working closely with the NLL, the Wings and all of our Native players to help implement additional educational programs in an effort to help prevent a situation like this from ever arising again."
In 2018, Thompson was named the NLL Sportsmanship Award recipient. According to the NLL, the award "honors those with the greatest combination of character and performance in the NLL."