ECHL suspends Panetta after he is accused of racial gesture

By The Associated Press

The ECHL has suspended Jacob Panetta after the brother of longtime NHL defenseman P.K. Subban accused the Jacksonville defenseman of making “monkey gestures” in his direction. The ECHL said the indefinite suspension is pending a hearing under its collective bargaining agreement with its players. But Jacksonville announced it had to decided to cut Panetta. The incident with Panetta and Jordan Subban occurred 23 seconds into overtime during the Icemen’s 1-0 home victory over South Carolina on Saturday. It comes in the wake of minor league forward Krystof Hrabik’s 30-game suspension for making a racial gesture during a Jan. 12 AHL game.