Washington Capitals forward Brendan Leipsic is apologizing after a private group chat that included misogynistic comments was leaked on Wednesday.
Screenshots from the chat featuring Leipsic, who is from Winnipeg, were published on the Instagram account @angelszeee2020. That account has since deleted them, but they continue to circulate on social media.
In a statement on Twitter, Leipsic said his friend’s account was hacked and acknowledged he was part of those conversations.
“I fully recognize how inappropriate and offensive these comments are and sincerely apologize to everyone for my actions. I am committed to learning from this and becoming a better person by taking time to determine how to move forward in an accountable, meaningful way. I am truly sorry,” Leipsic said.
‘Unacceptable and offensive’
In a statement to CBC Sports, the Capitals said they were investigating the situation.
“We are aware of the unacceptable and offensive comments made by Brendan Leipsic in a private conversation on social media. We will handle this matter internally,” the statement read.
Jack Rodewald, a 26-year-old also from Winnipeg, who has played 10 games with Ottawa Senators since 2018, was also involved in the group chat.
The NHL later released a statement saying it would address the “inexcusable conduct moving forward.
“The National Hockey League strongly condemns the misogynistic and reprehensible remarks made by players Brendan Leipsic and Jack Rodewald…. There is no place in our league for such statements, attitudes and behaviour, no matter the forum,” the statement read.
Leipsic, 25, has played parts of four seasons in the NHL with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Vancouver Canucks, Los Angeles Kings and Capitals.
Mocks women, teammates
In one instance of messaging in the group chat, Leipsic posted a photo of a former teammate’s wife and wrote ”look how fat” she “is lol.”
Leipsic also refers to women as pigs and makes light of other women’s weights in various other messages.
He also insults other NHL players.
In one, he reposted a picture of Canucks forward Jake Virtanen on vacation with friends, calling it “easily the worst crew in the world.”
He also posted a picture of Capitals teammates with the comment “f–k they’re losers.”