The Philadelphia Flyers have apologized after a social media team member was heard cursing about a reporter during a virtual press conference.
The incident occurred during an exchange between a reporter and newly signed Philadelphia forward Garnet Hathaway.
In clips circulated online, a voice can be heard asking, “How many times is she going to as this fucking question?” halfway through the reporter’s query about Hathaway’s decision to join a team in the middle of a rebuild.
Other voices could also be heard commenting in the background.
The NHL team originally posted the clip on social media, then deleted it, according to Yahoo Sports.
Keith Jones, Flyers president, later issued a statement on the team’s social media channels apologizing.
“Earlier today, our team’s social media account streamed a recording of a virtual press conference which included disrespectful remarks by members of our social media staff,” the statement said.
“On behalf of the entire Flyers organization, I want to extend our apologies. Any disrespect toward reporters is completely unacceptable, especially when they are simply doing their job. We have reached out to the reporter and the outlet personally to express our regret, and will continue to promote an environment of mutual respect when working with media.”
The statement did not name the reporter. However, several media outlets reported it was the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Flyers reporter Giana Han.