A 13-year-old B.C. hockey player has penned a “resignation letter” from his Abbotsford minor hockey team, saying he was bullied by teammates.
The father of Jamison Ladd took to social media to share the letter, which alleges months of verbal abuse at the hands of a few teammates.
“We thought it was important that if he was going to make the decision to stop playing, that he explained why in his own words,” Garrett Ladd said.
Jamison said he was called nasty names, some anti-Semitic.
“They make me feel like I don’t belong in hockey,” he wrote.
The letter went on to say his coaches knew about his concerns, but the “situation is not getting any better.”
“It started as something fun for some kids, some kids were uncomfortable. They asked for the behaviour to stop and it didn’t stop,” Garrett said. “That’s where we draw the line.”
The Abbotsford Minor Hockey Association did not respond to an interview request from Global News, but in an open letter to families in the league, it said it “takes any suggestion of bullying very seriously.” The league went on to say it learned of the allegations on Feb. 9 and has launched an internal investigation.
But emails from league officials indicate a player was suspended in December for team violations.
“So as far as we understand, the executive was fully aware of what was going on long before the suspension even took place,” Garrett said. “It’s our understanding that they have to be involved to allow a suspension.”
Jamison has been playing hockey since he was six but this past year he pulled away and his family did too, soured by an environment his dad says needs to change so other kids don’t have to go through a something similar.