Election / Rugby captain apologises after alleged ‘heil Hitler’ remarks from players
THE CAPTAIN of the Shetland men’s rugby team has apologised after one of its players allegedly shouted “heil Hitler” at a candidate for the Shetland MSP election seat.
Brian Murdock said the club “does not condone this behaviour” and was “deeply disappointed that this has occurred”.
He pledged to meet with the club members involved to “ensure they fully understand the impact of their behaviour”.
It comes after a post by Daniel Gear – shared by Shetland News this morning – which alleged that members of a local sports club had used the phrase on Saturday night.
Gear said the people involved had used the term towards Green Party candidate Alex Armitage on the Bressay ferry on Saturday night.
Shetland News approached the Shetland Rugby Club in relation to the incident, which provided a statement on social media and to this newspaper.
In it, Murdock said different groups from the club had returned to Lerwick from Bressay after being in the Maryfield pub on Saturday night.
“On the 10:45pm ferry, an incident occurred in which one of our players shouted inappropriate and offensive language that was heard by members of the public travelling home,” he said.
“As team captain, I take responsibility for the conduct of the team and sincerely apologise for the behaviour some of our players on the ferry.
“I would also like to thank members of the public for bringing the incident to our attention, as actions like these must be challenged in order for individuals to learn and improve in the future.
“I was glad to hear that one of our senior players, who, upon learning of the incident, apologised on behalf of the club to those affected. This reflects the leadership and respect that our club strives to uphold.”
In Gear’s post, he said that he had to explain to his seven-year old daughter what “heil Hitler” meant.
He said one woman had “expressed her righteous fury” at the people involved, some of whom had laughed it off as they left the ferry.
Murdock said he would be meeting with the players involved “to discuss the seriousness of the incident and to ensure they fully understand the impact of their behaviour”.
“As a team, we are disappointed in the actions of those involved and are committed to doing better in the future.
“We recognise that, at all times, we represent not only Shetland Rugby but also the wider Shetland community.
“Once again, I apologise to anyone who heard the inappropriate language and assure you that the men’s team is committed to improving moving forward.”
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