Should Don Cherry Have Been Fired?

[Tdot]

On November 11, 2019 at 2:51 PM, Zeitgeist said:

Long time co-host of Hockey Night in Canada and former Boston Bruins coach Don Cherry was fired from Sportsnet for referring to immigrants who don’t where poppies for Remembrance Day as “you people.”   The comment was seen by most people as derogatory, but should he have lost his job over it?   Cherry has made controversial remarks in the past, yet he has also said many supportive things about soldiers, Indigenous people, and people suffering from diseases and injuries.  He has also done valuable charity work.  

As a hockey icon and much loved staple of hockey commentary, does Cherry’s poor judgement in some remarks on a subject near to his heart, respect for veterans, outweigh his positive traits?  Is the moral condemnation of this 85 year-old, expressed through his firing, the best way to address his inappropriate comments?  What was Cherry trying to call out, unsuccessfully?  Were his comments simply “despicable”, as Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie described them, or are they more human and common than we wish to admit?  Is there a middle ground where those who fall short of righteous expression can make amends and grow without being cast out?

https://globalnews.ca/video/6151701/you-love-our-way-of-life-don-cherry-criticized-for-comments-on-immigrants-poppies

If all Cherry ever did here was mention that group/identify that group in a factual way, then no, he should not have been fired nor even disciplined.  

Nonetheless, if he did in fact use derogatory speech or hate speech when referencing "you people" then surely HNiC execs cannot have his voice representing their brand. Especially if the HNiC execs have decided that they want to publicly embrace immigrants who don’t wear poppies for Remembrance Day.