Sean Avery is in the headlines yet again. This time it’s not because of something he said, but something said about him.
It was during a game between the Flyers and the Rangers when Fylers’s Wayne Simmonds shot a homophobic slur Avery’s way.
According to the Associated Press, Avery and Simmonds were at odds during the heated first period, which is when cameras caught Simmonds calling him the homophobic slur.
Following the game, Avery confirmed to reporters what Simmonds said and that he had “no idea” why he called him that.
Simmonds reportedly said of the incident, that the two were going back and forth and that, “I don’t recall everything that I did say to him, but he said to me some things I didn’t like.” He went on and reportedly said, “And maybe I said some things that he didn’t like.”
According to an ESPN report, NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly is “looking into it” and said, “We have (the) ability to discipline for language used on the ice, ” although the league has never employed that authority in the case of an anti-gay slur.
The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation released a statement regarding the slur.
“Hate speech and anti-gay slurs have no place on the ice rink,” GLAAD acting president Mike Thompson said in a statement. “The word that Simmonds used is the same word that is hurled at LGBT youth on the playground and in our schools, creating a climate of intolerance and hostility. He should not only apologize for this anti-gay outburst, but the Philadelphia Flyers and the NHL have a responsibility to take action and educate their fans about why this word is unacceptable.”
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