Philadelphia Flyers coach John Tortorella defended Russian defenseman Ivan Provorov’s decision to boycott the team’s pregame LGBT “Pride” celebration due to religious beliefs.
Provorov, who was later traded to the Columbus Blue Jackets, chose not to participate in the event, citing his Russian Orthodox faith.
Tortorella supported Provorov’s decision and emphasized that it would not cause division within the team. (Trending: Biden’s Mental Decline Getting Even Worse)
NHL coach John Tortorella defended his player Ivan Provorov when he wouldn't come out to warmups and wear a rainbow warmup jersey for 'Pride Night':
"Just because you don't agree with his decision doesn't mean he did anything wrong." pic.twitter.com/C39iQhQZSP
— TheBlaze (@theblaze) January 20, 2023
“Provy did nothing wrong,” said Tortorella about Provorov.
“Just because you don’t agree with his decision doesn’t mean he did anything wrong,” added the coach.
“My choice is to stay true to myself and my religion,” said Provotov to reporters.
“That’s all I’m going to say,” added the hockey star.
The NHL’s stance on player initiatives and support for social and cultural issues was also highlighted.
“I learned a lot through that experience,” Tortorella recalled about previous protests.
“My feelings toward any time of protest to the flag during the anthem, it disgusts me, to this day. It disgusts me. It shouldn’t be done. Those are my feelings,” he lamented.
“I can’t push those feelings on to someone else. So I was wrong in saying that back then. I didn’t realize I was, added Tortorello.
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