Team officials said they will show support for Georgia Swarm player Lyle Thompson at this weekend's games after a comment a derogatory comment about him.
Thompson, the team's lead scorer is Native American.
A clip on social media from the Jan. 12 game against the Philadelphia Wings captured the "insensitive remark" 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 a couple of fans said they were going to "scalp" him.
In a double-header, Georgia played the Toronto Rock at Scotiabank Arena Friday and they're scheduled to play the New England Black Wolves on Saturday, Jan. 19 at 7 p.m. at Mohegan Sun Arena.
"During pregame warmups on Friday and Saturday night, the entire team will be wearing a long-sleeve shirt with a braid on the back," team officials said in a news release. "Players will also have the opportunity to wear their shirt under their game jerseys during both games."
The statement also said Swarm players will place a sticker on their helmets that features an image of a braid on it and that they are using the hashtag #IStandWithLyle on social media.
After the comment, a Philadelphia-based sportswriter tweeted that the announcer said, "clip that ponytail," every time Thompson touched the ball.
The comment by the announcer sparked some outrage online and he was fired.
The team issued a statement on Jan. 14 saying they are standing behind Thompson and said the "derogatory comment" would not be tolerated. Hill tweeted an apology for the remark.
