Brothers Eric and Marc Staal are the latest players to opt out of wearing their special team jersey in support of the LGBTQ+ community. Both players cited their belief in the Christian religion, as did James Reimer a few days ago.
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“After much thought, prayer and discussion, we have decided not to wear the Pride jersey tonight,” they wrote in a joint statement Thursday night. Her team, the Florida Panthers, faced the Toronto Maple Leafs at the FLA Live Arena.
“We don’t judge how people go about their lives and we believe everyone should feel welcome in all aspects of hockey. That being said, we believe that wearing a Pride shirt goes against our Christian beliefs,” the two Ontario men continued.
All other Panthers players, including goalkeeper Sergei Bobrovsky, wore the special uniform. On Wednesday, the Chicago Blackhawks also left the jersey aside for safety reasons for their Russian players. Some believe the latter could be targeted because the country’s government has criminalized LGBTQ+ “propaganda.”