CALGARY – The family of one of the survivors of the Humboldt Broncos bus crash say they will no longer speak with CTV News over The Social host Jessica Allen's comments about hockey.
Allen, one of the hosts on the daytime talk show broadcast on the CTV Network, has been embroiled in controversy because of her reaction to the firing of Don Cherry from the Coach's Corner segment of Hockey Night in Canada.
During Tuesday's show, she said she doesn't "worship at the altar of hockey" and found in her experience that those who do "all tended to be white boys who weren't, let's say, very nice."
In reaction to Allen's statement, Tom Straschnitzki, the father of Ryan Straschnitzki, took to Twitter and said he would not be accepting any further interview requests from CTV News reporters until disciplinary action was taken against the host.
Requests for further comment were not returned.
Thursday evening, Allen tweeted a statement, where she said she regrets "saying my experiences were 'personal' instead of underlining that they were specific episodes from determined moments with particular individuals. As a result, I offended many people. Not just our viewers, but parents, children, coaches, volunteers, and hockey families everywhere. To you you, I apologize. But I still can't apologize to the very specific hockey players I was referring to on Tuesday. I wish I'd used my voice and privilege more back then."
The entire statement may be viewed here:
A spokesperson for CTV said the comments from Allen have sparked a wider discussion from coast-to-coast but apologized to anyone who was offended by the remarks.
The full statement reads:
CTV’s The Social is based on opinion and debate about current issues, and we often hear from viewers who don’t agree with some of the perspectives on the show.
However, Jessica Allen’s comments about hockey have generated an extraordinary response. We’ve been touched by the stories we’ve heard from Canadians everywhere, including families from Humboldt, about what the game means to them. That matters to us.
We would like to apologize to everyone who was offended by the remarks, and let you know your feedback sparked much debate and introspection at The Social and CTV. We won’t restrict our hosts from offering their opinions on an opinion show, but we’ll always listen to viewers when they offer theirs.
(With files from The Canadian Press)
