The NHL says it’s “stupid and ignorant,” and Philadelphia Flyers winger, Wayne Simmonds, says he’s “above this sort of stuff.” The InterSports Network agrees with them both.

A banana was thrown from the stands of a Red Wings game last Thursday, just as Simmonds was skating toward their goal. The issue here is not that Simmonds plays for the opposing team, the issue is that Simmonds is the singular black player of an otherwise white-dominated rink.

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman issued a statement on Friday saying, “We have millions of great fans who show tremendous respect for our players and for the game. The obviously stupid and ignorant action by one individual is in no way representative of our fans or the people of London, Ontario." In fact, despite the ignorant interruption, Simmonds scored in the shootout. Red Wings beats the Philadelphia Flyers, 4-3, but Simmonds skated with his head held high.

"It shocked me and I knew I had to keep going and get a shot off," said Simmonds, who is from Toronto. "It was certainly unusual. He continued to say, “I don't know if it had anything to do with the fact I'm black," he added. "I certainly hope not. When you're black, you kind of expect (racist) things. You learn to deal with it."

But Simmonds only wants to focus on the game. "It was unfortunate that this incident happened, but I am above this sort of stuff," he said. "This is something that is obviously out of my control. Moving forward, this incident is something that I will no longer comment on so I can just focus playing hockey for the Philadelphia Flyers."

“(This) was a stupid and mindless act by a single individual," said London Mayor, Joe Fontana, in a statement on behalf of the city, "However, it reflects badly on our entire community. London is a diverse and welcoming city and we like it that way."

Surprisingly, this isn’t the first time an incident like this has occurred. Kevin Weeks, a former NHL goaltender and current CBC Color commentator had a banana thrown at him during a 2002 playoffs game in Montreal. Its no coincidence the Weekes is also black. "I'm not surprised," he said, "We have some people that still have their heads in the sand and some people that don't necessarily want to evolve and aren't necessarily all that comfortable with the fact that the game is evolving. I understand that firsthand - I'm the first black national broadcaster in NHL history, the first black broadcaster on 'Hockey Night in Canada.' The reality is that there's still some people that aren't very comfortable with that. Sometimes I'll get examples of it on Twitter."

"Unfortunately, we weren't able to identify the individual," said Peter Luukko, president and chief operating officer of Comcast-Spectacor. "We certainly don't condone such a foolish act (like this) as a player could potentially be seriously injured," he said in a statement. "This is ninth time we have played here in London and the fans have always been wonderful to us." As for the unidentified banana-thrower, Norton Sports, a California sports management group that does not manage Simmonds, has offered a $500 reward for the person’s identity – a reward that has been match by countless others since Simmonds became a trending topic on popular social networks. The InterSports Network and Celebrity Loop encourage you to tweet your thoughts and suggestions for promoting a more diverse league and supportive fan base.