Joffrey Lupul, 33-year-old winger for the Toronto Maple Leafs, might have wanted fans to believe that he was healthy and his team lied about him failing a physical earlier this week.
On Sunday, no more than a few days after the Maple Leafs said he failed his physical amid yet another injury rehabilitation, the veteran posted on Instagram a picture of what appeared to be himself snowboarding. And at one point during the day, responding to fan inquiries, Lupul suggested in the comments that Toronto had falsely designated him as injured to save salary cap space.
"Haha failed physical?" he wrote, according to the Toronto Star. "They cheat, everyone lets them."
Three days later, Lupul doesn't want you to believe that any longer.
In a statement posted on Twitter late Wednesday, the former seventh overall draft pick apologized for his comments, which he has since deleted from the snowboarding picture.
"I responded earlier this week to some negative comments on Instagram," Lupul wrote. "It was an inappropriate response, and I deleted it, but I take full responsibility. It's been extremely tough not being able to play over the past 1.5 years. I will not be seeking a second opinion, but I hope one day to be able to get back on the ice. I apologize to the media, fans, Leafs organization, and most of all, my teammates for this unneeded distraction."
Drafted by the Anaheim Ducks in 2002, Lupul has not played since the 2015-16 season, before he underwent sports hernia surgery in February 2016. At the start of last season, the forward was also designated as having failed his physical and he spent the entire season on long-term injured reserve. He hasn't appeared in 80 games in a season since 2006-07 for the Edmonton Oilers.
