I'll try to keep this short, lest you think I'm all political-like. (EDIT: I failed, of course.) Ideally by now you've seen this thing, where Sean Avery speaks up for HRC, counting himself among New Yorkers for Marriage Equality. If not, go check it out. It's pretty sweet, because professional athletes don't really do this. And people from Puck Daddy to the New York Times have covered it as the noteworthy issue it is.
Avery's spoken out in favor of not-being-a-dick-to-gay-people before, on a smaller scale, but this is a pretty big deal (gotta love the line "I treat everyone the way I expect to be treated"). Athletes are usually afraid to make statements like these, and Avery's a big damn hero for taking that plunge. Asked about concern about backlash from some of the more homophobic, neolithic players, Avery responded, "People have been calling me names for ten years just because I like to wear nice suits. It's going to take a lot to get me upset or get under my skin. I'm OK."
What a nice little heartwarming tale involving one of our favorite New Yorkers, right? Heaven forbid the fucking story just end there and leave us feeling all warm and fuzzy about humanity for a second or two.
Enter NHL agent Todd Reynolds, Vice President of agency firm Uptown Sports Management. Last night, Reynolds posted to the official Twitter stream of Uptown Sports: "Very sad to read Sean Avery's misguided support of same-gender 'marriage.' Legal or not, it will always be wrong." Yes, Mr. Reynolds, we noticed the quotes you put on marriage. Poignant. Dick.
In the usual way, Reynolds went on to tweet, about an hour later, the customary "I'm not being bigoted" comment people always issue after they discover the world didn't like it when they said something bigoted: "To clarify: this is not bigotry or hate towards gays. It is not intolerance in any way, shape, or form." Rrrrrrright.
It is one thing to keep your mouth shut, because you work in the world of professional sports, and you don't want to rock the boat. We don't all have to be as brave as Sean Avery. But it is another thing entirely to step into the public forum for the first time, just to speak out against the first athlete who had the balls to do something like this.
Understand: Mr. Reynolds didn't come out and make a statement for himself, like Avery did. He posted a Tweet (should that be capitalized?) to his management firm's official stream, thereby making a statement on behalf of the entire firm. Not only is he directly speaking for an entire agency, he is also indirectly speaking for a number of athletes that they represent. Totally uncalled for. In conclusion, fuck Todd Reynolds.
Oh, and because I'm that guy, the following is an exhaustive list of current NHL players whose representation Uptown Sports boasts:
Jonathan Bernier, Los Angeles Kings
Tyler Brenner, Toronto Maple Leafs
Andrew Brunette, Minnesota Wild
Kyle Clifford, Los Angeles Kings
Carlo Colaiacovo, St. Louis Blues
Andrew Desjardans, San Jose Sharks
Mike Fisher, Nashville Predators
Dustin Jeffrey, Pittsburgh Penguins
Cody McCormick, Buffalo Sabres
Chris Neil, Ottawa Senators
Scott Timmins, Florida Panthers
Gentlemen, your agent is a douchebag.
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