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Ohio State sends home player who called Michigan State's Jagger Joshua a racist slur

Justin Berl/NCAA Photos / NCAA Photos / Getty

Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith announced men's hockey player Kamil Sadlocha is returning home "and will not practice or compete at this time" after directing a racial slur at Michigan State forward Jagger Joshua multiple times during a game earlier in November.

"I want to offer my sincere and heartfelt apology to Jagger Joshua. On behalf of Ohio State, I am so sorry," Smith said in a statement Tuesday. "No student or student-athlete should experience hatred or racism, and everyone should feel welcome."

Sadlocha received a game misconduct during the Nov. 11 contest and the incident was later reviewed by the Big Ten. However, the conference didn't discipline the Buckeyes winger due to "the absence of indisputable evidence," according to a statement to The Detroit News' Tony Paul.

Joshua, who is Black, said Monday that the lack of action following the review left him "confused and pessimistic about the movement of diversity within hockey culture."

Smith said Ohio State players will soon undergo "complete education on racial sensitivity, diversity, equity, inclusion and the use of respectful dialogue."

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