Cherry appears on Fox News, insists he regrets use of phrase “you people”

Grapes expresses some regret for the first time during this entire scandal.

HockeyFeed
HockeyFeed
Published 4 years ago
Cherry appears on Fox News, insists he regrets use of phrase “you people”

In case you somehow, someway missed Monday's shocking news story, legendary Canadian broadcaster Don Cherry was effectively dismissed from his position with Rogers Sportsnet and CBC for making "divisive comments" concerning support for veterans in Canada.

"It has been decided it is the right time for him to immediately step down," Sportsnet said in a statement Monday. 

Read below:



In case you missed it, Cherry ignited a firestorm of controversy this past weekend when he called Canadian immigrants "you people" and ripped them for not buying and wearing a poppy for Remembrance Day as a way of honouring Canadian veterans.

Check it out:



“You people... love our way of life, love our milk and honey. At least you could pay a couple of bucks for poppies or something like that. These guys paid for your way of life that you enjoy in Canada.”


Obviously, comments like that are bound to ruffle some feathers. Agree or disagree with Grapes, he was obviously not wise in choosing his words and, as a result, he's out of a job. The true irony is that Rogers elected to make this decision on Remembrance Day.

Rogers issued an apologized on Sunday for Cherry's comments on "Coach's Corner" the previous day, about his belief that new immigrants don't wear poppies to show their support for veterans. But, the apology mostly rang hollow.

Toronto Sun reporter and Cherry's close friend Joe Warmington had a one on one interview with Cherry in which the veteran broadcaster refused to back down from his words

Read below for some quotes from Warmington's phone interview with Cherry:

“I know what I said and I meant it. Everybody in Canada should wear a poppy to honour our fallen soldiers. I speak the truth and I walk the walk. I have visited the bases of the troops, been to Afghanistan with our brave soldiers at Christmas, been to cemeteries of our fallen around the world and honoured our fallen troops on Coach’s Corner.”
“To keep my job, I cannot be turned into a tamed robot. I would have liked to continue doing Coach’s Corner. The problem is if I have to watch everything I say, it isn’t Coach’s Corner.

Cherry ended his interview with one final message for Canadians:

“Remember to wear your poppy to honour our fallen soldiers …

Cherry's firing also made news south of the border and right-wing media personality Tucker Carlson scooped up Grapes for a live interview with Fox News. Ironically enough, Cherry did concede that his use of the phrase, "You people" is ultimately what did he in and he does regret his use of the phrase.

Check it out:


Again, agree or disagree with Grapes on... well anything really, Hockey Night in Canada broadcasts will never be the same. Cherry has been an integral part of CBC broadcasts for over four decades. His knowledge of the game cannot be denied and he was truly light years ahead of other broadcasters when it comes to on-air personality. Once again, agree or disagree with Grapes but you cannot deny his impact on the game of hockey. He's an absolute legend and deserves to be in the Hockey Hall of Fame.

So now... where do we go from here, hockey fans? What's next for Coach's Corner and what's next for Grapes?