The people who run a fan podcast about the Columbus Blue Jackets have apologized for making a suicide reference about a forward who is in the NHL/NHLPA Assistance Program and vowed to take steps to remedy their mistake.
The comment was made on the most recent B&B Roundtable podcast as the members discussed the number of Blue Jackets players who are out of the lineup. One person, ‘Zach,’ made the remark about Patrik Laine, who entered the assistance program Jan. 28.
Reaction was quick when the clip hit social media. Laine, who had not posted on X (formerly Twitter) in more than a year, wrote, ‘This is just not okay.’ Elaine Shircliff, who was a guest on the podcast, said she would never appear again, saying, ‘Suicide is not a joke.’
The three on the podcast, ‘LiL Boomer,’ ‘SC Steve’ and Zach, apologized to Laine, the team and its fans.
‘I should have caught it, said something at the time,’ LiL Boomer said. ‘I did not. That is on me.’
He said he would step away from the podcast and ‘take sometime to myself and get my head right.’
Steve, who laughed at Zach’s comment, apologized to Laine for his reaction. ‘It was wrong,’ he said. ‘I still hope you are getting the help that you went into the player assistance program for.’
Zach apologized for the ‘extremely bad comment’ and said he has removed himself from X and has canceled his Blue Jackets season tickets.
Each said they would make a donation toward the Laine-supported Columbus Blue Jackets Foundation program that focuses on mental health awareness.
‘While we appreciated the podcast’s apology for their remarks, words have consequences,’ the Octagon agency, which represents Laine, said in a statement. ‘Suicide is not a punchline. We remain steadfast in our condemnation of such language and continue to advocate for mental health awareness.’
It urged fans to also make donations to the foundation to ‘turn this moment into a catalyst for positive change.’
As of Tuesday afternoon, fans had made 200-plus donations that exceeded $10,000 combined, Blue Jackets spokesman Todd Sharrock told the Columbus Dispatch, part of the USA TODAY Network.
Said LiL Boomer: ‘Hopefully this (comment) doesn’t end us, but if it does, I fully understand.’