A Boston radio host drew criticism on Monday for a comment he made during a discussion about former NHL player Adam Johnson.
Johnson was playing for the Nottingham Panthers of England’s Elite Ice Hockey League on Saturday when his throat was cut by the blade of opponent. He received emergency medical treatment on the ice, but he did not survive. On Sunday, the Panthers announced that Johnson had died. He was 29.
The story was national news and was included in a headlines segment on WEEI’s “The Greg Hill Show” Monday morning. Hill and his co-workers began debating whether or not Johnson’s fatal injury was the result of an intentional act by opposing player Matt Petgrave. Chris Curtis, the show’s producer, then quipped that he wished someone cut his throat with a skate after Mac Jones threw an interception in the New England Patriots loss to the Miami Dolphins on Sunday.
“I wanted a skate to the neck when Mac [Jones] threw that pick,” Curtis said.
You can hear the exchange below:
I’m not usually one to raise alarms but this is disgusting from @TheGregHillShow. @jwiggs85 suggests Matt Petgrave intentionally kicked Adam Johnson with his skate, which ultimately killed him.@_ChrisCurtis follows it up by saying he wanted a skate to the neck after Mac Jones… pic.twitter.com/maCtCfZxix
— Nick Melanson (@nickmelanson_) October 30, 2023
Most people agreed that what Curtis said was extremely insensitive given the nature of the tragedy. This also is not the first time the producer has faced scrutiny for something he said on the air.
Earlier this year, Curtis was accused of making a racist joke about an ESPN reporter, though he claimed he misspoke.
Police in England are investigating Johnson’s death, with some calling for Petgrave to face criminal charges.
Johnson played in 13 NHL games with the Pittsburgh Penguins across the 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons. He also played for the AHL affiliates of the Penguins, Los Angeles Kings and Philadelphia Flyers.
