ESPN Anchor John Anderson Apologizes for Tasteless Joke About Indigenous NHL Player’s Name

ESPN’s John Anderson issued an apology Tuesday for an insensitive comment he made regarding Golden Knights defenseman Zach Whitecloud. 

While speaking on SportsCenter and doing a play-by-play of Monday night’s highlights of the playoff game between the Golden Knights and Oilers, Anderson said, “What kind of name is Whitecloud? Great name if you’re a toilet paper,” when talking about the 26-year-old’s goal. 

Whitecloud is of Indigenous descent and his family is from the Sioux Valley Dakota Nation, a reserve west of Manitoba, Canada.