Todd Reynolds, who represents several
NHL players, has criticized New York Rangers winger Sean Avery's
endorsement of gay marriage.
The 31-year-old hockey player recorded
a video released on Saturday for the Human Rights Campaign's (HRC)
New Yorkers for Marriage Equality campaign.
“I treat everyone the way I expect to
be treated and that applies to marriage,” Avery said in his
30-second video ad.
“Committed couples should be able to
marry the person they love,” he added. “Join me in supporting
marriage equality.” (The video is embedded in the right panel of
this page.)
On Monday, Reynolds, the vice president
of Ontario, Canada-based Uptown Sports Management, tweeted: “Very
sad to read Sean Avery's misguided support of same-gender 'marriage.'
Legal or not, it will always be wrong.” Canada legalized gay
marriage in 2005.
In a radio interview broadcast Monday
with TSN Radio 1050, Reynolds defended his stance.
“There's certainly a voice for the
other side on this particular issue,” he said. “I was merely
responding to be the other voice. I believe in standing up for what
you believe in. I'm passionate about what I believe in. And I
believe in morality and I believe in right and wrong. I know many
people with different viewpoints for what is right and wrong.”
The negative response, Reynolds added,
was disappointing.
“I'm a little disappointed in some of
the response,” he said. “If you oppose a viewpoint, you're
immediately targeted by some people as a hater, a bigot, intolerant,
homophobic and many other terms. That's obviously not the case for
people who know me. I don't hate anyone and I'm certainly not a
bigot.”
The New York Rangers promoted Avery's
video on the team's official Facebook page and tweeted the news.