BUFFALO, N.Y. — Members of an amateur hockey team from Cheektowaga yelled racial slurs and noises at a player on the team from Amherst in January.
On Saturday, Cheektowaga Warriors head coach Kenneth Phillips met with the president of the State Amateur Hockey Association, along with parents and other coaches, to deal with the fallout from that game.
"To be perfectly honest, it was more like a deposition than it was a hearing," Phillips said Monday.
Two of Cheektowaga's players and an assistant coach are suspended because the players yelled racial slurs at an African-American player from Amherst.
"When you saw that video, do you think that the assistant coach handled the situation appropriately that night?" 2 On Your Side’s Kelly Dudzik asked.
"He pulled a couple of players off the ice, and that's what he decided to do at the time," said Phillips.
"Would you have handled it the same way?" Dudzik asked.
"I can't say yes or no because I really wasn't there. I don't know how, what he was hearing, what he wasn't hearing," Phillips said.
Along with the suspensions, the regional president of the State Amateur Hockey Association resigned and the playoffs for Cheektowaga, Amherst, and West Seneca were cancelled.
"So, you have a bunch of players on my team that did nothing wrong, a team full of Amherst players that did nothing wrong, and a West Seneca team that wasn't even in attendance that doesn't get to play their games, and I don't think that's a good decision," Phillips said.
Phillips was not at that game and says he reported what happened to the league as soon as he knew about it.
He believes the referees also need to be held accountable.
“If they call a penalty, it gets marked on a sheet, suspensions are handed out, and we're not sitting here today. It's that simple," Phillips said.
"Is there a culture on the team where kids feel like it's okay to use racial slurs?" Dudzik asked.
"No, no, what happens is, is in that type of a sport, where there's a lot of body checking, a lot of stuff, things are said," Phillips said. "But that does cross the line into a different area, and they know it, they have apologized."
"Do you think they learned their lesson?" Dudzik said.
"Absolutely," Phillips said.
Phillips says the parents also need to set a good example in the stands. And, as far as the suspensions go, he could find out as early as Saturday how long they'll continue.
Phillips thinks the cancellation of the playoffs is a final decision, and he says he's not comfortable accepting it.
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