Jalen Smereck, target of racist taunts, separates from Ukrainian Hockey League club

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Jalen Smereck, the target of a racist taunt during a Ukrainian Hockey League match, has reached a “mutual agreement” with HC Donbass to terminate his contract, according to a statement released by the team on Sunday.

In a September 26 game, HC Kremenchuk player Andrei Deniskin mocked the American defender, who is black, with a gesture that mimics peeling a banana and eating it.

The gesture was captured on video and was widely broadcast.

In the statement, the Ukrainian club thanked Smereck for his tenure and wished him “good luck in his future career”. Smereck has yet to comment on the decision.

Andrei Deniskin has been suspended for three games and faces an additional 10-game ban unless he pays a fine of around C $ 2,400. (XSport / Ukrainian League)

The UHL suspended Deniskin for three games and 10 more games, unless he paid a fine of 50,000 hryvnia (approximately C $ 2,400).

Denyskin apologized for the gesture in a social media post that has since been deleted.

HC Donbass said on Twitter that he had demanded a tougher sanction for Deniskin.

Smerecklater posted on Instagram that he was taking time off until Deniskinis “suspended and retired from the league.”

Deniskin’s actions have been widely condemned, with the International Ice Hockey Federation and the NHL Players’ Association among the organizations speaking out.

Following Deniskin’s suspension, Eugene Kolychev, the general manager of the Ukrainian Hockey League claimed that he had been dismissed by the Federation.

Smereck, a Detroit native, played 17 games last season with the Tucson Roadrunners, the American Hockey League affiliate of the Arizona Coyotes.

I spoke about it openly #racism in Ukrainian hockey and the Ukrainian Hockey Federation fired me as general manager of the #UHL today.

Will this solve the problem? No. Will this shut me up? NO!

– @ EvgeniyKolychev

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