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Ex-NHLer Andrew Shaw backs cousin Jacob Panetta amid racial gesture fallout

On Monday, former Chicago Blackhawks and Montreal Canadiens forward Andrew Shaw posted a message on Twitter defending the actions of his cousin Jacob Panetta, who was accused of making a racial gesture towards Jordan Subban in an ECHL game between the Jacksonville Icemen and the South Carolina Stingrays.

“[Panetta] is being judged in the media for an incident that was misinterpreted! Yes it looks bad but there is evidence that he’s done the ‘tough guy’ pose in a few other games to players of non-color. I believe him when he says there was no intent to be racist with his gesture,” the 30-year-old said.

Amid the online fallout from his gesture, Panetta was cut by the Icemen, and has been suspended indefinitely by the ECHL pending a league investigation.

In his first public comments on the matter, the 25-year-old released a pair of videos on Sunday, clarifying his intentions in the altercation with Subban and apologising for his gesture.

“My actions were not racially motivated at all, and I sincerely apologise for the pain and suffering and anger that my actions have caused him, his family and everyone who was hurt by this,” Panetta said.

As of this writing, Jordan Subban had yet to publicly respond to Panetta's explanation.

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Andrew Shaw says he believes his cousin Jacob Panetta's claims that he had no racist intent with his gesture toward Jordan Subban in a recent ECHL game. (Getty)
Andrew Shaw says he believes his cousin Jacob Panetta's claims that he had no racist intent with his gesture toward Jordan Subban in a recent ECHL game. (Getty)