Sean Avery, who plays for the New York Rangers, has accused Philadelphia Flyers forward Wayne Simmonds of hurling a gay slur against him.

Avery told ESPN.com that Simmonds uttered a homophobic slur at him during a game on Monday.

“To be here now having to answer the questions about what he did is disappointing for me. I'm disappointed for him,” Avery said.

Simmonds claims Avery sucker-punched him and did not deny the allegation.

“We were going back-and-forth for the rest of the game and emotions ran high,” Simmonds told reporters after the game. “I don't recall every single thing that I did say to him. He said some things to me that I didn't like, and I guess I said some things that he didn't like.”

Avery was the first professional athlete to publicly endorse a gay marriage law in New York. His 30-second video ad for the Human Rights Campaign's (HRC) New Yorkers for Marriage Equality campaign jump started a dialogue in the sports world on the subject of gay rights. Avery also traveled to the New York Statehouse to lobby lawmakers to vote for the bill.