“It’s something he’s had to live with as part of being a black athlete,” said Daniele, who also represents Smith’s brother, Gemel, a Dallas Stars forward. “Obviously, it’s disgusting that people do that to another human being,” Red Wings General Manager Ken Holland said. He said he told Smith he wished he had known more about what he was dealing with. Horcoff said Smith told him: “Listen, I didn’t want to make it a bigger deal than it was. I didn’t want more distractions for my teammates.”Branch said this was the first time since he became commissioner in 1979 that a player needed a police escort to a game.

Source: New York Times May 09, 2018 21:30 UTC