David K. Li

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NHL bans all theme-night gear, including Pride symbols, from uniforms

The NHL issued a sweeping ban against on-ice theme night gear, barring clubs from having players wear rainbow sweaters or use multicolored tape on sticks during Pride Night, for example, officials confirmed Tuesday.

The move, first reported Monday by the LGBTQ news site Outsports, followed a 2022-23 season when a handful of players — including Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Ivan Provorov and then-San Jose Sharks goaltender James Reimer — declined to participate in their clubs’ Pride Night celebrations.

Outsports called the NHL’s new directive “the most stifling, anti-LGBTQ policy any pro sports league in North America has ever issued.”

Representatives for the NHL and the players union did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment. 

Deputy NHL Commissioner Bill Daly confirmed to The Associated Press on Tuesday that the league sent a memo to all 32 clubs with updated guidance barring any on-ice uniform or gear used in warmups from including any theme night celebrations.

Mark Barberio of the Colorado Avalanche
Mark Barberio of the Colorado Avalanche before a game against the Anaheim Ducks in Denver in 2020.  Michael Martin / NHLI via Getty Images file 

Kurt Weaver, the chief operations officer of the You Can Play Project, told NBC News that the leaguewide memo went to clubs Thursday. You Can Play is a partner of the NHL and its “Hockey Is for Everyone” campaign, aimed at stomping out homophobia and spreading the game to underrepresented groups.

Weaver said league officials confirmed to him that teams will be barred from having players wear Pride sweaters or have rainbow tape on their sticks.

“When you start to take away what is our most visible representations, what carries the most weight in messaging, is those heroes that you see on the ice standing up for they believe and what they believe is right,” Weaver said. “And removing those from the ice is a tough one.”

Weaver praised years of efforts by the NHL, teams and players to fight homophobia but admitted that last week’s league memo was a bitter pill to swallow.

“It’s hard to reconcile that right now, with decisions like this. But I see too many great things that the clubs do, that hockey in general does. It’s success after success,” he said. “But that right now is clouded by a really poor decision that’s going to overtake all that good work.”

Jeff McLean, a spokesperson for Pride Tape, said the company is “extremely disappointed by the NHL’s decision” to ban its product from on-ice activities this season. The company is looking forward to better days ahead.

“We hope the league — and teams — will again show commitment to this important symbol of combating homophobia,” the company said. “Many of the players themselves have been exceptional advocates for the tape.”

The recent NHL communication to clubs also left the door open for players to object to being in “close proximity” to people or groups whom they might consider to be “associated” with causes they don’t support, Outsports reported.

“Players shall not be put in the position of having to demonstrate (or where they may be appearing to demonstrate) personal support for any Special Initiatives. A factor that may be considered in this regard includes, for example, whether a Player (or Players) is required to be in close proximity to any groups or individuals visibly or otherwise clearly associated with such Special Initiative(s),” the league allegedly told clubs, Outsports reported.

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The potential “proximity” policy had Anaheim Ducks organist Lindsay Imber wondering out loud whether she could be, in theory, booted from her Honda Center nest over gender identity.

“At the executive level, we just don’t have representation, and if we don’t have representation up there, they don’t know us,” she said Tuesday. “So then the people formulating these decisions don’t have this perspective, which leads to policies that are exclusionary.” 

The puck drops for the 2023-24 NHL regular season Tuesday with a trio of opening night games as the Nashville Predators visit the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Chicago Blackhawks go on the road to play the Pittsburgh Penguins, and the Seattle Kraken watch the Stanley Cup-champion Golden Knights hoist a championship banner in Las Vegas.

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Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Ivan Provorov boycotts Pride Night event

Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Ivan Provorov refused to participate in pregame warmups Tuesday, ahead of his team’s Pride Night celebration, citing religious objections.

The Flyers donned Pride-themed jerseys and used sticks wrapped in rainbow Pride tape as they warmed up for their game against the Anaheim Ducks.

Provorov said his Russian Orthodox faith precluded him from taking part in the LGBTQ event. 

“I respect everybody. I respect everybody’s choices. My choice is to stay true to myself and my religion. That’s all I’m going to say,” Provorov told reporters after the game.

The NHL pro then snapped at a reporter who asked if his refusal to warm up had any impact on the game.

“Did you not hear what I just said? Can you respect that?” Provorov testily responded.

While Flyers coach John Tortorella called the hockey team’s Pride Night event “a great night,” he also defended Provorov’s refusal to participate.

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“With Provy, he’s being true to himself and to his religion,”  Tortorella said, using Provorov’s nickname. “This has to do with his beliefs and his religion. It’s the one thing I respect about Provy. He’s true to himself.” 

There was no consideration to benching Provorov over the pregame boycott, Tortorella said. Provorov skated a team-high 22 minutes and 45 seconds in Tuesday night’s game. 

“The Philadelphia Flyers organization is committed to inclusivity and is proud to support the LGBTQ+ community,” the team said in a statement after the game. “Many of our players are active in their support of local LGBTQ+ organizations, and we were proud to host our annual Pride Night again this year. The Flyers will continue to be strong advocates for inclusivity and the LGBTQ+ community.”

Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill of Moscow, a longtime ally of of Russian President Vladimir Putin who backs the Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine, said last year that Russia must resist liberal foreignerswho support “gay parades.”

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History-making NFL player Carl Nassib signs with Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers signed defensive end Carl Nassib — pro football’s first openly gay, active player — bringing him back to where he delivered two of his most productive seasons, officials said Tuesday.

Nassib, then of the Las Vegas Raiders, came out a little more than a year ago and made one of the NFL’s most memorable early season plays, sacking the Baltimore Ravens’ Lamar Jackson and forcing a fumble in a dramatic Monday Night Football victory for the Silver & Black.

This will be Nassib’s seventh season in the NFL and his second stint in Tampa Bay, where he played in 2018 and 2019, recording 6.5 and 6 sacks, respectively, those years. 

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Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles lauded Nassib’s ability to stop the run and pressure the quarterback.

“He has a lot of versatility, he brings a lot of energy, he brings a lot of toughness,” Bowles told reporters Tuesday. “He understands the (team’s) system. He was comfortable in it, so we look forward to him coming here.” 

The Raiders elected not to bring back Nassib for 2022, opting for a more cost-efficient edge rusher. He would have made $7.75 million this season had he returned to Las Vegas.

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This signing by Tampa Bay could be as crucial a moment in the history of gay acceptance within sports as Nassib’s coming out last year, according to Cyd Zeigler, co-founder of Outsports.com.

For a team, especially a high-profile Super Bowl contender like Tampa, to sign an openly gay player is “huge,” Ziegler wrote. 

The acquisition shows that Nassib’s on-the-field production trumps any lingering homophobia, according to Ziegler, who contended that“people claiming that men’s pro sports broadly hate gay athletes (and yes, this is still a claim) simply have no leg to stand on.”

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Amy Schneider’s historic ‘Jeopardy!’ streak comes to an end after 40 wins

Long-running “Jeopardy!” champion Amy Schneider lost in an episode that aired Wednesday, ending the second-longest winning streak in the quiz show’s history.

Schneider, an engineering manager from Oakland, California, was defeated by Rhone Talsma, a librarian from Chicago, who raked in $29,600 in the latest game, besting Schneider, at $19,600.

She left the show with nearly $1.4 million in winnings and had no regrets about the streak’s end.

“I got about $1.2 million more than my best case scenario in my imagination,” a smiling Schneider said moments after the stunning defeat.

Almost all of Schneider’s wins had been in 2-to-1 blowouts going into Final Jeopardy, meaning the final questions figured only in how much prize money she would score.

But Wednesday’s game was unusually close. Schneider led Talsma by $27,600 to $17,600 heading into the last question, under the category “Countries of the World.” 

The show wanted to know which is the only nation that ends its English spelling with an “h” and is also among the world’s top 10 most populous countries.

Talsma correctly asked, “What is Bangladesh?” while Schneider came up blank. His winning bet of $12,000 and her losing wager of $8,000 meant a new champion was suddenly crowned.

“It’s really been an honor,” Schneider said. “To know that I’m one of the most successful people at a game I’ve loved since I was a kid and to know that I’m a part of its history now, I just don’t know how to process it.”

Talsma’s quick trigger was key to his staying close throughout the game, Schneider said.

“I had thought that Rhone was going to be tough going into it,” she said in a statement released by the show.

“I loved hanging out with him, we had great conversation before the taping, but I could tell that he was here to play and that he was going to be good. I still came very close to winning, but I did feel like maybe I was slipping a little bit. And once it was clear that he was fast on the buzzer, I knew it was going to be a battle all the way.”

Rhone Talsma, a librarian from Chicago, finished in first place with a score of $29,600.
Rhone Talsma, a librarian from Chicago, finished in first place with $29,600.Casey Durkin / Sony Pictures Television

For much of the Double Jeopardy round, it looked as though Schneider would cruise to another easy win. At one point, she was up by $24,400 to $5,800 over Talsma. 

But then Talsma nailed a late Daily Double, correctly naming the Greek goddesses of vengeance, the Furies. He doubled up from $7,800 to $15,600 and put himself in position to overtake Schneider in Final Jeopardy.

Just after the game, Schneider praised Talsma for taking the huge gamble on that Daily Double.

“It’s the right thing to do but I’ve seen several contestant not be able to pull the trigger on that,” she told the winner.

With nothing to lose, Talsma said he didn’t think twice.

“I’m just playing for fun, I was just going to go big. Wow,” he said. 

When Talsma, sporting distinctive neon-framed glasses, took the “Jeopardy!” stage in Culver City, California, he had no idea he’d be facing down one of the winningest contestants in the show’s history. 

“I’m still in shock,” Talsma said of his victory. “This is my favorite show. … I was so excited to be here, and I just wanted to do my best. I did not expect to be facing a 40-day champion, and I was excited to maybe see someone else slay the giant. I just really didn’t think it was going to be me, so I’m thrilled.”

Schneider’s success was particularly celebrated by the transgender community, as she became the first transgender contestant to make it to Tournament of Champions, which will be played this fall, and is now the highest-earning female competitor in “Jeopardy!” history.

Schneider’s 40-game streak is second only to Ken Jennings’ record streak of 74 wins.

She won $1,382,800, good for No. 4 all time in regular season play, trailing only Jennings ($2.5 million), James Holzhauer ($2.4 million) and Matt Amodio ($1.5 million). 

Coincidentally, Holzhauer’s run on the show was also ended by a Chicago bookworm as he was ousted by University of Chicago librarian Emma Boettcher in 2019.

Jennings, who splits “Jeopardy!” hosting duties with former “Blossom” and “Big Bang Theory” actor Mayim Bialik, presided over Schneider’s winning streak.

“It was just so amazing to watch; like I couldn’t believe what I was seeing,” Jennings told Schneider on stage after the game. “It was an honor to be here.” 

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Indiana U. Says it Can’t Fire Professor over his ‘Racist, Sexist, and Homophobic’ Views

An Indiana University professor blasted by his employer for “sexist, racist, and homophobic” views penned a lengthy response to detractors, reiterating his notions that gay men should not be K-12 teachers and that women could indeed be “sluts.”

Eric Rasmusen, a 60-year-old business and economics professor at Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business, created a web page to respond to what he called “the 2019 kerfuffle in which the Woke crowd discovered” his social media posts and other comments.

He also responds directly to the university’s executive vice president and provost, Lauren Robel, who earlier this week slammed his views while also saying they constitute free speech protected by the First Amendment.

“Professor Eric Rasmusen has, for many years, used his private social media accounts to disseminate his racist, sexist, and homophobic views,” Robel said in her statement. “I condemn, in the strongest terms, Professor Rasmusen’s views on race, gender, and sexuality, and I think others should condemn them.”

But she said that “is not a reason for Indiana University to violate the Constitution of the United States.”

Kelley School of Business Dean Idie Kesner also posted an open letter to students and staff, criticizing Rasmusen but defending the school’s stance: “While many have called for the professor’s dismissal, there are legal reasons why the University cannot dismiss him over his postings. Like all of us, Professor Rasmusen has First Amendment rights.”

Rasmusen in his response, said, “These insults no longer have much meaning.”

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“I open doors for ladies; I say that sodomy is a sin. I am sure that is enough to qualify me for those insults under the Provost’s personal definitions,” the professor said.

He also touched upon some of his views that have drawn criticism.

  • On alleged sexist slurs: “Is ‘slut’ a slur against women? Not at all. It is a slur against certain women, against a minority of women, and for them it is a justified slur, a descriptive one. A women who sleeps with 100 men in a year is a slut.”
  • On whether gay men should be teachers: “Homosexuals should not teach grade and high school,” Rasmusen said. But he says he’s OK with them teaching college. “Professors prey on students too, so there is a danger, but the students are older and better able to protect themselves, and there is more reason to accept the risk of a brilliant but immoral teacher.”
  • On affirmative action: The professor said affirmative action may be right or wrong. “What is clear is that *some* students are admitted because of their race — which means that other students are denied because of their race, since we have a fixed number of spots.”

Rasmusen also said he strives for views that stand the test of time. “What I aim for is a view that stands up to both the 18th century and 21st century critiques, not to mention 1st-century, and to critiques from ancient China as well as ancient Greece. The Provost is taking the opposite tack here, saying that we should not care about what other cultures and times think of our views, only what people in 2019 think.”

The recent attention to Rasmusen was sparked by his Nov. 7 retweetof an article, “Are Women Destroying Academia? Probably.” Rasmusen prefaced the tweet by saying, “Geniuses are overwhelmingly male because they combine outlier high IQ with moderately low Agreeableness and moderately low Conscientiousness.”

Robel said in her statement that while the university will not try to fire Rasmusen, it will take steps to ensure that “students not add the baggage of bigotry to their learning experience.”

No student will be required to take any of his classes, Robel said. In addition, she said he will have to use double-blind grading on assignments to “ensure that the grades are not subject to Professor Rasmusen’s prejudices.”

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Tennessee Detective Who Preached Gay People Are ‘Worthy of Death’ Having Cases Reviewed for Bias

Tennessee prosecutors said Friday they’ll take a fresh look at the work of a detective who, as a Baptist pastor, allegedly delivered homophobic sermons.

Knox County Sheriff’s Det. Grayson Fritts said during a sermon last weekend that gay people are “freaks” and “reprobates” who are “worthy of death” and should be tried and executed by the government, according to NBC affiliate WBIR in Knoxville.

Charme Allen, the prosecuting attorney of the 6th Judicial District, which includes Knox County, said she found Fritts’ comments “personally offensive and reprehensible.”

Fritts resigned two weeks ago from the sheriff’s department after 19 years on the job.

Image: Grayson Fritts
Grayson FrittsWBIR

“My constitutional obligation is to protect the integrity of the justice system,” Allen said in a statement to NBC News on Friday.

“When any potential witness in a criminal proceeding expresses an opinion of hatred and/or bias towards a class of citizens, I am ethically bound to explore that witness’ credibility. Accordingly, I am reviewing all pending cases involving Mr. Fritts to scrutinize them for any potential bias.”

There are 10 pending cases that involve work from Fritts, the Knoxville Sentinel reported.

“I have dedicated my career to the belief that justice is blind and that all people are entitled to equal protection of the law,” according to Allen. “I always have, and always will, prosecute fairly and justly, based upon the law and the evidence, without prejudice, bias, or discrimination of any kind.”

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Fritts could not be immediately reached for comment on Friday. But he told reporters outside his All Scripture Baptist Church earlier this week that he wished other pastors would speak up like he has.

“I’m not an anomaly. I am a Baptist preacher that is just preaching the Bible and if it offends society, then it’s going to offend society, but if all these other pastors would grow a spine … and would stand up just like I’m standing up,” he told reporters.

Fritts insisted he doesn’t want harm to come to any gay people.

The detective took a voluntary buyout from the department and is now on paid sick leave until July 19, when the buyout kicks in, officials said.

“I want to be very clear that it is my responsibility to ensure equal protection to ALL citizens of Knox County, Tennessee, under the law, my oath and the United States Constitution without discrimination or hesitation,” according to a statement from Sheriff Tom Spangler.

“Rest assured that I have and will continue to do so,” Spangler said.