Coach’s Corner host Don Cherry has been fired by Sportsnet after making racist comments regarding immigrants in relation to Remembrance Day on air Saturday night.
Cherry, 85, implied that immigrants in Toronto don’t pay enough respect to war veterans on Remembrance Day by wearing a poppy. Sportsnet first apologized to the public for Cherry’s words before backtracking and firing the controversial announcer late Monday.
The flamboyant announcer’s remarks went viral quickly, triggering a flood of complaints to the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council (CBSC). The CSBC today stated on their website that their “technical processing capacities have been exceded”, presumably by the large number of complaints.
Cherry had been a host on Hockey Night in Canada since 1981 (38 years).