Mitch Marner cancels charity event ahead of free agency.

Toronto Maple Leafs star forward Mitch Marner once again finds himself under fire, although at this point I doubt that he cares very much one way or the other.

It now seems inevitable that Marner will walk to free agency where he will eventually sign a new deal as a free agent with either his prefered destination or the team that makes him the most competitive offer, but that hasn't stopped fans from dogpiling on Marner on his way out the door.

On Monday morning, Jonah of YYZ Sports Media reported that Marner had made the decision to cancel an upcoming charity event, citing complications related to his pending free agency as the reason for doing so. Jonah published the following statement from Marner's people:

After thoughtful consideration, we have made the difficult decision to cancel this year's event, scheduled for July 10th and 11th. The uncertainty around Mitch's summer schedule makes it challenging to plan responsibly. Out of respect for the time and commitment of our partners and supporters, we feel it's best to make this decision now. While we are disappointed not to come together this year, the Foundation will continue to honour all its commitments to charitable partners.

The message continued from there but the rest of it was not shared by Jonah.

Canceling a charity event does seem to be in poor taste and fans who have seen the report on social media were quick to express their displeasure. Here are just a few examples of some of the comments:

Even the man who published the report was taken aback at the level of vitriol that spewed forth on social media after the announcement reached the public.

"I don't recall this level of hatred for any Toronto athlete in a very longtime as Marner is getting now," wrote Jonah on Monday. "Not everyone but wow- there are a lot of serious haters."

Is the hate being directed at Marner over this decision justified? Or have fans taken their hatred of this player too far? Let me know what you think in the comments.