Vigneault admits he was 'guilty' of being oblivious to protests

Alain Vigneault is owning up to his ignorance.

The Philadelphia Flyers head coach acknowledged Saturday that he made a mistake Thursday by not being informed about player walkouts and league postponements, which were initiated in response to the police shooting of Jacob Blake.

"I never bothered to ask or checked with anyone (about) what was going on in the world, or the NBA. I am guilty of that," Vigneault told reporters in a prepared statement Saturday. "I was totally focused on our next game. Like I said at the 12 o'clock press conference (Thursday), I am for equality, and I am for social justice.

"I want to be part of the solution, I want to help society in any way I can."

Vigneault explained that he was occupied by meetings, a COVID-19 test, and other work in his hotel room on Wednesday evening and Thursday morning after the Flyers defeated the New York Islanders to even their second-round series.

After speaking to the media and having his pregame meal Thursday, Vigneault said he saw players from the four remaining Eastern Conference teams talking amongst themselves, which gave him an inkling that "something was going on." One of Philadelphia's players texted Vigneault telling him they were not going to play that night.

Vigneault thanked those who supported him since his previous comments, adding that he hopes they stay safe, while sending a message to those who criticized him.

"To all of the people in the last 48 hours who have questioned my honesty, my integrity, and my social commitment, I want to say, you also stay safe," he said.

On Thursday, Vigneault said he's been focusing exclusively on hockey since the Flyers eliminated the Montreal Canadiens, adding that he really had "no idea what's going on in the outside world."

Several hours after Vigneault's remarks Thursday, the NHL postponed its games through Friday at the request of the players and in conjunction with the Hockey Diversity Alliance.

On Wednesday, the NBA's Milwaukee Bucks started the movement by refusing to play that evening. The team's statement forced the league to delay its games through Friday, and several MLB teams ultimately did the same before the NHL followed suit one day later.

Copyright (C) 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.