Eric, Marc Staal refuse to wear Panthers' Pride Night warmup jerseys
Published
Florida Panthers forward Eric Staal and defenceman Marc Staal did not wear the team’s Pride Night warmup jerseys prior to Thursday’s game against the Toronto Maple Leafs, citing their religious beliefs.
The Staals released a statement on their decision through the Panthers PR:
“After many thoughts, prayers and discussions we have chosen not to wear a pride jersey tonight.
We carry no judgement on how people choose to live their lives, and believe that all people should be welcome in all aspects of the game of hockey.
Having said that, we feel that by us wearing a pride jersey it goes against our Christian beliefs.
We hope you can respect this statement, we will not be speaking any further on this matter and would like to continue to focus on the game and helping the Florida Panthers win the Stanley Cup.
Eric and Marc Staal”
The Panthers will be auctioning the Pride Night jerseys off in support of the You Can Play Team and the Florida Panthers Foundation will match dollar-for-dollar all funds raised and will donate that match back to LGBTQ+ nonprofits in the South Florida community.
The Staal’s join San Jose Sharks goaltender James Reimer, who refused to participate in wearing a Pride Night warmup jersey last week and Philadelphia Flyers defenceman Ivan Provorov who did the same in January.