Nearly two weeks after he addressed player protests in hockey by saying "I don't think people come to games for that," NHL commissioner Gary Bettman doubled down at Yahoo Finance's All Markets Summit on Wednesday, suggesting "there are other times to do that" and that fans don't go to games "for political rallies."
This, of course, comes well after the NHL's lone protesting player, Tampa Bay Lightning forward J.T. Brown, announced he would no longer be raising a fist during pregame national anthems in order to raise awareness of police brutality, criminal justice issues and racial inequality. But Brown, who said he would donate 600 tickets to charities and police programs after engaging with law enforcement, also emphasized during his protest that he raised a fist in part to show that issues "were not going unnoticed by the hockey community."
In speaking at the All Markets Summit, Bettman made it clear that, at least in his eyes, any issues of protest should go unnoticed by the hockey community when it's game day. He added that some NHL players work in the community, but in a further reverse of course from comments in September, when he encouraged each player "to decide what makes them comfortable," the commissioner also quieted any suggestion that protests belong in NHL rinks:
"I think people come to sporting events to come together, to be unified as a community, to root, and to be distracted," Bettman said. "I don't think fans like to come for political rallies. There are other times to do that. We didn't issue an edict or a rule, and virtually almost without exception, our players have been focused on being a team, serving their communities, and trying to win their games."
