ESPN's John Anderson Apologizes For Joke About Zach Whitecloud's Name

ESPN anchor John Anderson issued a mea culpa on Tuesday ... after he made an on-air joke about the last name of an NHL player who's of First Nations descent.

Anderson cracked the quip during an episode of "SportsCenter" on Monday night ... when he was reading over highlights of the Las Vegas Golden Knights' playoff win over the Edmonton Oilers.

As LV defenseman Zach Whitecloud was putting a shot in the net on the screen, Anderson said, "Zach Whitecloud -- what kind of name is Whitecloud?"

"Great name if you’re a toilet paper," he added.

The comment was immediately hit with backlash -- with many dragging Anderson for poking fun at Whitecloud, who, according to NHL.com, is "the first Indigenous NHL player from the Sioux Valley Dakota Nation."

Social media users called it offensive and crass -- and on Tuesday morning, Anderson said in a statement he was sorry about it all.

"This is totally on me and I sincerely apologize to Zach, the Golden Knights, their fans and everyone else for what I said," Anderson wrote. "It's my job to be prepared and know the backgrounds of the players and I blew it."

He added, "I will be reaching out to the team to personally apologize and hope to have the opportunity to speak to Zach as well."