Uptown Sports, a Canadian sports management agent to NHL and professional hockey players Monday denounced Rangers’ Sean Avery’s support of marriage equality, announced this weekend via a video Avery made for the Human Rights Campaign. “Very sad to read Sean Avery’s misguided support of same-gender “marriage”. Legal or not, it will always be wrong,” Uptown Sports wrote, via Twitter. Uptown Sports, according to their website and Twitter page, “represents Professional Hockey players such as Andrew Brunette, Cody McCormick, Chris Neil, Mike Fisher and Carlo Colaiacovo.”
READ: Same-Sex Marriage: Star Pro Hockey Player First In NY To Offer Support
The statement continued, “To clarify. This is not hatred or bigotry towards gays. It is not intolerance in any way shape or form. I believe we are all equal…Â But I believe in the sanctity of marriage between one man and one woman. This is my personal viewpoint. I Do not hate anyone.”
Some are displeased.
“How they can say we are all equal just minutes after tweeting that gay marriage will “always be wrong†is beyond my understanding,” writes Cyd Ziegler, Jr., today at OutSports. “Hopefully their clients will find more suitable management for professional athletes in 2011. One of those clients is Tyler Brenner, a Toronto Maple Leaf; Brian Burke is the GM of the Maple Leafs and has become a strong advocate of gay equality since the coming out and untimely death of his son, Brendan.”
Referring to Rashard Mendenhall’s loss of an endorsement deal, SBNation asks, “What’s the worst that could happen to Uptown here?”
CBS Sports adds that the tweets come directly “from Todd Reynolds, the firm’s Vice President and son of the owner.”
A quick perusal of the Uptown Sports Twitter account did not identify any other political or social issue-oriented tweets, with the exception of one about the killing of Osama bin Laden.
Uptown Sports did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
UPDATE: 8:15 PM: OutSports adds this post: “Sports agents issue messages of support for gays in response to Uptown Sports,” writing, “Hockey professionals are speaking out quickly and clearly against anti-gay comments made by Uptown Sports management.”