For 14-year-old Lilly Freeman-DeHart, the Oshawa Generals junior hockey team are a big part of her life. But the teen is upset after being banned for a year by the team after an incident at a recent game.
As a part of their normal routine, Freeman-DeHart and her mother, Gayle Freeman, were waiting to see the players after the March 19 home game when they were asked to leave.
“We were being escorted out by security and then when we were in the stairwell, the security got a little mouthy and Lilly said to her, ‘You’re being a bitch,’” Freeman said, adding they were then told they were banned.
“She wasn’t letting me stay,” Freeman-DeHart said, adding she normally stays to meet the players and she doesn’t know why she couldn’t stay this time.
Freeman-DeHart has social anxiety and rarely goes out, except to Oshawa Generals games. The decision has been difficult to handle for the teen. Freeman said her daughter often gets hugs from the players.
Roger Hunt, vice president and general manager of the Oshawa Generals, said in a statement to Global News that the team takes “great pride in our standing in the community and our relationships with fans.”
“A decision has been made to put measures in place to prohibit three individuals from no longer attending Oshawa Generals events at Tribute Communities Centre for one year,” the statement said.
“This was a decision not made lightly by our organization but one which was made with the best interests of our players in mind.”
The team referenced an “incident” on March 19, but officials declined to comment further on what happened when contacted by Global News.
With files from Tom Hayes
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