James Reimer Breaks the Silence on Him Not Wearing a Pride Jersey

PUBLICATION

Austin Kelly
March 27, 2023 (9:33 PM)

SHARE THIS STORY

Sharks Goalie James Reimer finally spoke to media regarding his decision to forgo wearing LGBT+ pride jerseys for the Sharks 'Pride Night' celebration.

Reimer, who is a practicing Christian, gave an exclusive interview to both 'The Athletic' and 'San Jose Hockey Now', having reiterated his beliefs for not wearing the Jersey.

Reimer said that his plan to not wear the jersey was a long thought process, and that he had been weighting the decision for a long time.

"It's something that I thought about for a long time, probably almost a year."

Reimer had mentioned as well that he has been in contact with the Staal brothers, who, like Reimer, also decided against wearing pride jerseys, citing similar faith-related reasons.

Reimer also said to reporters that his beliefs were based solely on his religious stance, and not meant to be discriminatory in any way.

I think I would just refer back to my statement on that one. My beliefs in Christ, what I think the Bible says on that stuff. But people, regardless of their orientation or their activity or whatnot, they have value and worth, I would do my best to love them, the best way I know how. I don't think there's a limit per se.

Other players, such as Ivan Provorov & Ilya Lyubushkin, have also chosen not to wear the outfits, worn only for warm-ups and not for game use. The Chicago Blackhawks had decided against pride jerseys for their game last Sunday, citing unnamed safety concerns for their Russian players, who may be impacted by the Russian Government's condemnation of LGBT+ rights in the country.

The Sharks, despite Reimer's decision to sit out warmups, wore the pride jerseys, meant to signify support for the LGBT+ community, and were later auctioned off for donation to support local nonprofit groups in the San Jose area.

As Read on HockeyFeed - Reimer speaks out, gives first interview since last week's controversy