American Airlines Center officials have opened an internal investigation after a video emerged on social media Tuesday of Dallas Stars fans doing what appears to be the Nazi salute at a game in December.
The 18-second video, first posted on Reddit, shows a group of male Stars fans sitting in the upper deck making the gesture to the rhythm of “Puck off” by Pantera — the Stars’ goal song — at Dallas’ Dec. 21 game against the Toronto Maple Leafs at American Airlines Center.
The user who posted the video wrote, “These boys were sitting in front of us doing a Nazi salute every time the Stars scored. I’ve been to several games and never seen anything like this before. I recorded them and sent it to arena management, but they said they couldn’t find the boys despite me giving them their exact seat numbers.”
An American Airlines Center spokesperson addressed the video in a statement to The Dallas Morning News. A Stars spokesperson directed all questions related to the video to American Airlines Center.
“American Airlines Center (AAC) has zero tolerance for any acts of hate and/or discrimination, and we aim to ensure an environment for our guests that is free from disruptive behavior, including foul/abusive language and obscene gestures,” the spokesperson said on behalf of American Airlines Center leadership. “As such, we strongly denounce the actions that appear to be depicted in the video footage and are conducting an internal investigation.
“All fans and attendees are expected to adhere to AAC and, as applicable, NBA or NHL Codes of Conduct when attending events. Guests who violate any such Code of Conduct may be subject to ejection from the event without refund and, to the extent their conduct constitutes a violation of applicable law, prosecution.”
The spokesperson did not respond to The News’ questions about whether these fans have been contacted or banned from future events or whether AAC officials were aware of the video before it surfaced on social media.
The NHL Fan Code of Conduct states, “Language, gestures, behavior, clothing, signs, or other personal expressions that negatively reference or demean a specific race, ethnicity, gender/gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, disability status, or other identity-based characteristic will not be tolerated. Such conduct is strictly prohibited regardless of whether it directly or indirectly references a particular individual or a group of individuals.”
The code also states anyone who is determined to have engaged in conduct contrary to the league’s policy is subject to penalties, including, but not limited to: seat relocation, ejection, suspension or a lifetime ban from NHL events.