NHLer donates money for removal of Confederate statue

Stick to sports? The outspoken veteran isn’t having any of that.

HockeyFeed
HockeyFeed
Published 6 years ago
NHLer donates money for removal of Confederate statue
Keystone Press

Hockey players, for better or worse, don’t seem to have the outspoken flair of athletes from North America’s other major sports. This is especially true when it comes to controversial topics or matters of politics. While it’s not unusual to hear a controversial opinion from an NBA, NFL or MLB player, NHLers tend to be much more reserved. 

In the case of one NHLer though, Tampa Bay Lightning forward J.T. Brown, he’s not content to just keep his mouth shut. In the wake of the recent events in Charlottesville, VA, the 27-year-old Brown has decided to donate $1,500 toward the removal of a Confederate statue in Tampa, FL. 

"Stick to sports? I've heard it," Brown said. "I heard it last year. I've heard it now after this. I'm not afraid of backlash. Everybody has their opinion on what people should say and when they should say it. But if everybody stuck to what they're supposed to do, we wouldn't have made the strides we made to get to where we are."

Regardless of your feelings on this particular matter, there’s no denying Brown’s impact on his local community over the past few seasons. The gritty veteran has spent countless hours mentoring young children at local Tampa schools and has used the online video game streaming platform Twitch to help raise money for the NHL’s “Hockey is for Everyone” campaign.

Stick to hockey? Not for J.T. Brown.