Steve Simmons

A controversial column from Toronto reporter Steve Simmons prompted strong responses from veteran NHL forward Wayne Simmonds and former professional hockey ...

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Toronto Sun columnist Steve Simmons finds himself in the hot seat after making comments about former defenseman Akim Aliu in his Sunday feature.

You have no idea what we've all been through. “You are a racist and an arrogant. This is the first time in history that racism has been part of the conversation in hockey. According to my calculations, Aliu played for 23 teams in nine different leagues in 12 professional seasons and rarely finished a season with the same team he started with. [No Comments](https://bobrtimes.com/toronto-sun-columnist-accused-of-being-racist/?noamp=mobile#disqus_thread) The former hockey player has been present for a few years on the public scene to promote diversity in hockey.

A controversial column from Toronto reporter Steve Simmons prompted strong responses from veteran NHL forward Wayne Simmonds and former professional.

Are you saying I didn’t get called a n— and get sent down to the [ECHL] when I was actually leading my AHL team in scoring in my first professional season? “You are racist and you are arrogant. Are you saying I wasn’t hazed in my rookie year in the OHL, made to strip naked in a bathroom with five other men and afterwards got my teeth cross checked out for not wanting to do it again and subsequently get blackballed by Hockey Canada as my stock dropped?” What are you actually trying to do by comparing myself to Wayne, who is an incredible leader in this space and is promoting the same message as I? This is the first time in history the crucial conversation of race is prevalent. “By my count, Aliu played for 23 teams in nine different leagues in 12 professional seasons and rarely finished any season with the same team he started with.

"You are a racist, and you are arrogant. You have zero credibility and respect from even your own peers in the media space and athletes alike.".

“You are a racist, and you are arrogant. What are you actually trying to do by comparing myself to Wayne, who is actually an incredible leader in this space and is promoting the same message as I? “If you actually did some real journalism, you would know that the Chicago Blackhawks’ management team that did everything in their power to bury me, out of that organization came five National Hockey League champs. And Simmonds’ “We will no longer sit quietly as our characters are assassinated” is quite a powerful response. [walk into my team party with a jersey and blackface](https://thecomeback.com/nhl/colorado-eagles-apologize-to-akim-aliu-for-staffer-wearing-blackface-in-2011.html), and then afterwards I asked for a trade? Are you saying I didn’t have a trainer My dad who was with me literally an hour ago at a HDA grassroots event trying to promote diversity in the game in underserved communities. “The real question here is are you saying there’s no racism in the game with everything that’s gone on? I’ve seen Steve talk negatively about me for some time now and the funny thing is I’ve never spoken to him, or met him in my life. This is a man who didn’t own a pair of shoes until he was 16 years old, growing up in Africa, and a man who delivered pizzas as my mom cleaned hotel rooms to get me by in this game. Just a quick msg to the hockey world. If that was colour-related, how is it that Wayne Simmonds spent just about the same 12 seasons playing in the NHL?

A controversial column from Toronto reporter Steve Simmons prompted strong responses from veteran NHL forward Wayne Simmonds and former professional hockey ...

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Over the weekend, controversial Toronto columnist Steve Simmons came under fire after he published a piece in which he laid into National Hockey League ...

To say that Aliu held nothing back here would be quite the understatement, and it's clear that the NHL activist is very angry about the things Simmons wrote about him in his most recent column for the Toronto Sun. Not only did Aliu openly accuse Simmons of racism, but he also quite clearly called for him to be fired from his job. "People like Steve are what's wrong with society," said Aliu during a 2 minute video published to his social media.