Blue Jackets coach Mike Babcock releases statement after being accused of inspecting players’ phones

Spittin’ Chiclets, a podcast from Barstool Sports, alleged that Babcock asked players to show him photos on their phones to see what kind of a person they were.

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Columbus Blue Jackets Head Coach Mike Babcock has released a statement after being accused in a hockey podcast of inspecting players’ phones on Tuesday.

Spittin’ Chiclets, a podcast from Barstool Sports, alleged that Babcock asked players to show him photos on their phones to see what kind of a person they were. A clip of the podcast episode was posted to X, formerly known as Twitter.

One of the hosts of the show said that one of the players told him about the interaction.

Mike Babcock called the way the interaction was portrayed in the podcast a “gross misrepresentation.”

Babcock’s full written statement reads as follows:

“While meeting with our players and staff I asked them to share, off their phones, family pictures as part of the process of getting to know them better. There was absolutely nothing more to it than that. 

The way this was portrayed on the Spittin’ Chiclets podcast was a gross misrepresentation of those meetings and extremely offensive.  

These meetings have been very important and beneficial, not only for me but for our players and staff as well, and to have them depicted like this is irresponsible and completely inaccurate.”

Captain of the Blue Jackets, Boone Jenner, also provided a statement about the interaction between him and Babcock.

“While meeting with Babs he asked me about my family and where I’m from, my upcoming wedding and hockey-related stuff,” Jenner wrote. “He then asked if I had pictures of my family and I was happy to share some with him. He showed me pictures of his family. I thought it was a great first meeting and good way for us to start to build a relationship. To have this blown out of proportion is truly disappointing.”

Babcock was announced as the team’s new head coach on July 1. He is 700-418-164 with 19 ties in his career and ranks 12th in NHL history in wins. He has coached 1,301 games (16th) in 17 seasons for the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim/Anaheim Ducks, Detroit Red Wings and Maple Leafs. 

He’s also 90-74 in 164 Stanley Cup Playoff games, including winning the Stanley Cup with Detroit in 2008 and guiding the Mighty Ducks (2003) and Red Wings (2009) to the Stanley Cup Final.

Babcock spent his time away from the NHL coaching university hockey, where there was an emphasis on setting players up for success on and off the ice, including mental health plans.