A former Jewish prospect for the Anaheim, California Ducks hockey team has sued it for anti-Semitism that he charges damaged him and his career.
Jason Bailey filed a lawsuit for unspecified damages, charging that the Ducks’ farm team coach and assistant coach from 2007-2009 discriminated against him. Among other epithets, he was called a “dirty Jew” who could not be trusted with money.
The defendants are the Bakersfield, California Condors, its coach Marty Raymond and former assistant coach Mark Pederson.
Bailey noticed the first signs of anti-Semitism when the Condors threatened to send him to a lower league, prompting Bailey to appeal to the Ducks’ management, which did not believe the charges, according to Fink.
The Jewish hockey player said that after he complained about mistreatment, he was bumped down to a lower league where he received no time for playing what often is called “the fastest game on ice.” When Bailey charged that his contract had been breached, the Condors suspended Raymond and Pederson and told them to apologize to Bailey in writing.
Both coaches apologized for remarks, but the suit charges that they treated the whole affair as a joke, according to FanHouse.com. Raymond noted that his intention “was to have a jovial moment.”
Raymond also allegedly said that Jews "only care about money and who's who" and that Pederson allegedly replied to Bailey on Facebook, "Oh, I got a friend request from a dirty Jew." The suit also charges that after the team collected money for a party, Pederson stated, "Well, I don't know if we can trust him with the money. He's Jewish."
Bailey’s lawyer Keith Fink told FanHouse, "What shocks me is the callous indifference that management and ownership showed when confronted with this situation. They knew what the coaches did was wrong, but they failed to stand up and do the right thing for Bailey and his family."
Officials for the Ducks and Condors team refused to comment on the suit.
Fink pointed out that his client is not looking for money and that the suit “is not going to advance his career. It takes a strong, confident person (to pursue this type of case)."
Eventually, Raymond was suspended for one week and Pederson for two weeks for violating team policies in what the Condors said was an internal matter. However, Raymond's contract later was extended.
Bailey eventually was traded and now plays for an Ottawa Senators’ American Hockey League affiliate.