Panthers' Eric, Marc Staal Decline to Wear Pride Jerseys; Cite Religious Beliefs

Florida Panthers teammates and brothers Eric and Marc Staal did not participate in warm-ups ahead of Thursday's game against the Toronto Maple Leafs at FLA Live Arena in protest of the team's annual Pride Night, which includes the option to wear rainbow Pride jerseys.

The Staal brothers cited their religious beliefs as the reason they did not participate in wearing the Pride jerseys, per Florida Hockey Now's George Richards.

"The Panthers said any player who did not choose to wear the jersey had that right but would not warm up before the game," Richards wrote.

Eric and Marc Staal said in a statement, per Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press:

"After many thoughts, prayers and discussions we have chosen not to wear a pride jersey tonight. We carry no judgement on how people choose to live their lives, and believe that all people should be welcome in all aspects of the game of hockey.

"Having said that, we feel that by us wearing a pride jersey it goes against our Christian beliefs. We hope you can respect this statement, we will not be speaking any further on this matter and would like to continue to focus on the game and helping the Florida Panthers win the Stanley Cup."

Panthers head coach Paul Maurice said of the team's decision to move forward with wearing the jerseys:

"As an organization, we have decided — and rightfully so — to move forward with it and support it and celebrate it.

"Teams around the league and players around the league, they've got the right to their opinion, and we've got the right to ours. But I've seen the sweaters. They're great looking, and it should be a great night tonight."

The Staal brothers join San Jose Sharks goaltender James Reimer and Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Ivan Provorov in choosing not to wear Pride jerseys during their team's annual Pride Night celebrations.

Both Reimer and Provorov cited their religious beliefs as the reason for not wearing the jerseys.

Pride jerseys have become a contentious topic around the NHL since Provorov opted against wearing one during Philadelphia's Pride Night in January.

Four NHL teams have pulled the plug entirely on wearing Pride jerseys this season—the New York Rangers, New York Islanders, Minnesota Wild and Chicago Blackhawks.

The Blackhawks and Wild reportedly cited concern for the safety of Russian players as the reasoning for having their teams not suit up in Pride jerseys.

A Russian law enacted in December expanded the country's ban on "gay propaganda," making it "illegal to promote or 'praise' LGBTQ relationships, publicly express non-heterosexual orientations or suggest that they are 'normal,'" according to CNN's Ivana Kottasova and Anna Chernova.

The Rangers scrapped plans to wear Pride jerseys for warm-ups on Jan. 27, citing "everyone's individual right to respectfully express their beliefs." The Islanders also did not wear the jerseys for warm-ups on Feb. 9, citing an organizational policy.

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman commented on the way teams have handled Pride Night celebrations during the NHL's All-Star Weekend in February (h/t Stephen Whyno of the Associated Press):

"You know what our goals, our values and our intentions are across the league, whether it's at the league level or at the club level. But we also have to respect some individual choice, and some people are more comfortable embracing themselves in causes than others. And part of being diverse and welcoming is understanding those differences."

A number of teams still have Pride Night celebrations on tap before the end of the regular season next month.