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NHL suspends Panthers' minority owner over social media posts

On Sunday night, minority owner Doug Cifu engaged in a ridiculous exchange with a Maple Leafs fan on X/Twitter.
ByJames Turner|
Nov 30, 2023; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; View of a Florida Panthers logo on a jersey worn by a member of the team during warm-up before the game against the Montreal Canadiens at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images
Nov 30, 2023; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; View of a Florida Panthers logo on a jersey worn by a member of the team during warm-up before the game against the Montreal Canadiens at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images | David Kirouac-Imagn Images

It’s never good when a negative headline comes out about a sports franchise you support. Particularly when that franchise is amid a postseason run in hopes of winning another championship. Unfortunately for Florida Panthers fans, that is the situation we face today.  

On Tuesday, the NHL suspended Doug Cifu, a minority owner of the Florida Panthers, following a series of controversial social media posts that sparked outrage over the weekend. Cifu is banned from any involvement with the team or the NHL. He serves as the vice chairman of Sunrise Sports & Entertainment (for now), the group that oversees the Panthers and Amerant Bank Arena.

The posts, which emerged during the Panthers' Game 4 win against the Toronto Maple Leafs, included inflammatory comments regarding the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine and a reference suggesting Canada could become the 51st state of the U.S. The posts, along with Cifu’s X account, have since been deleted. 

The exchange was with X user @mrgrozz, a Maple Leafs fan. The fan began by making a rather ludicrous comment about the series' physicality, writing, “Hey, what's worse, using headshots to win a series or using starvation as a weapon to win a war?” 

The dialogue rapidly deteriorated into a discussion laden with political overtones. In a reply, Cifu accused the fan of being an "anti-semite" and a “loser.” The rest of the exchange was much the same, but I won’t elaborate further. 

In response to the backlash of the posts, Cifu acknowledged his missteps in a statement to Florida Hockey Now. "I posted regrettable and inflammatory comments on social media. My behavior does not reflect the standards of the Florida Panthers organization and the Viola family. I sincerely apologize to all those affected by my comments." 

Cifu also claimed to be committed to working with the NHL to address his actions. The NHL called the posts "unacceptable and inappropriate," leading to his indefinite suspension.. An in-person meeting with NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman is scheduled for a future date to discuss the matter further.

Politics aside, what is an executive of a major sports team doing engaging in online arguments with fans? What’s worse is that this isn’t Cifu’s first such incident. Even if the fan was trolling (and they clearly were in this case), someone in such a position should never be spouting off hate-filled or inappropriate social media diatribes. What could he possibly stand to gain?

Anyone in a position of power should be held accountable for their actions, and I believe the NHL did the right thing here.

I’m sure the players and coaches will be unaffected by Cifu’s actions and will remain focused for a huge Game 5 matchup in Toronto on Wednesday.

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