My response to Dennis Bernstein's following article. http://www.thefourthperiod.com/columnists/bernstein/db110928.htm

“LOS ANGELES -- I could give a damn about Sean Avery's politics.”

Well, I do. I appreciate Avery’s stand for marriage equality, which was passed here in the great State of New York only a couple months ago. Avery was in Albany, campaigning for this to be passed to help his fellow New Yorkers be granted  equal civil rights.

“As sure as the NHL season starts in October, Avery has injected himself into the spotlight and predictably, it's shrouded in controversy.”

You’re right, Sean Avery asked to be called a homophobic slur that was clearly obvious on any instant replay, and thus was the center of attention PRIOR to any beat writer- or Avery himself- calling our attention to it. Twitter started buzzing instantly with recognition of the slur.

“Before you get to the end of this sentence, you know this piece won't be about that great hat trick he scored in pre-season or the on-ice impact he'll have as the Rangers battle for a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. The only talent this player has shown is the ability to carve out a marginal career with four different teams and the only reason the word 'professional' is in the same sentence is that he gets a paycheck for it twice a month.”

He actually has a pretty good pass.

“In a sport that is benchmarked by playoff success, he's played in a grand total of 28 post-season games and his teams have never advanced past the second round.”

Henrik Lundqvist hasn’t made it past the second round either, so I guess our goaltender sucks, too.
   
“I covered him for three seasons and witnessed that his greatest ability was to alienate or anger everyone who crossed his path. Team officials, coaches, writers and teammates rebuffed Mr. Avery, all for the right reasons. From refusing to do an on ice drill when directed by-a Kings assistant coach to disrespecting Hall of Fame media members to mocking guys he shared the room with, his three-year run in Los Angeles was three years too long.”

Avery has definitely had a rocky NHL career, no arguments from me!

“Though he had a cult following at the time, it's been years since I've seen anyone wearing an "Avery 16" jersey here.”

Because he was traded… and now they wear them here. Duh?

“Even more telling, when his actions brought him into question, I never saw a teammate go to his defense. When he landed an internship at Vogue Magazine after arriving in New York, the only thought I had was, 'thankfully it wasn't The Fourth Period.'“

My favorite defense of Avery was Chris Drury’s simple, "He's a Ranger. He's our guy. I would take a bullet for him any time, any day. We all would." But that’s just one example.

“I could regurgitate the long list of people Avery has offended,…”

He’s alone in this? My boss offends a long list of people by lunch time.

“…I can reference the on-ice racial epithets he's hurled…”

Prove it, on video tape, just like we can do with Wayne Simmonds. Facts are that Avery was accused of a racial slur but it was never proven. All Star Shane Doan was in a similar situation before. I very much hope that Sean Avery never said a racial slur, but that’s all I have- hope. And all you have is the suggestion that he might have.

Remember that time when Sean Avery *didn’t* make fun of Jason Blake’s cancer? Maybe- just maybe- this was one of those times.

“… and break down the calculated misogynistic comment in Calgary that was so egregious the League suspended him and the Dallas Stars terminated his contract, but most know these too well.”

To us people who, I don’t like, like heads better than we like feelings, that was a ridiculous overreaction by a league who is watching player after player go down with head injuries and yet has not come up with a way to manage it. That being said, I sincerely hope Avery meant it when he says he regretted the statement, and he made a follow up apology to Elisha Cuthbert. He went entirely too far, and he has a more than paid a fair price for his words.

“Only when the Rangers' GM Glen Sather became the bigger fool and thought his act was worthy of a second run on Broadway did Avery find another safe haven to chirp on the ice about Martin Brodeur and Scott Hartnall's ex-wives, likely only because the cap hit was half of his $3.8 million price tag.”

Glen Sather is a fool. This is true.

“Through 135 games over two seasons, he scored only 14 goals and is a minus player. This alleged vital cog to the Rangers' success was a healthy scratch by head coach John Tortorella for six games down the stretch last season and the opening game of the playoffs. His injection into the lineup resulted in one win and three losses, as the Capitals dispatched the Rangers in five games.”

So a mediocre player who barely is going to make the Rangers team this year should have been able to change the fate of the Rangers last postseason… how? This is besides the fact that Tortorella keeps Avery on a VERY short leash, and thus is unable to be as a effective as he once was. (Although I do cede the point that many Rangers fans feel Avery’s not a strong enough player or not worth the trouble he brings in the eyes of the refs. This is besides the point, however.)

“So, now that we've established the fact that this is a fringe player (who may not even make the Rangers roster), let's get the heart of the matter and this column.”

Rangers fans realized this a page and a half ago, but yes, let’s get to the heart of the matter of this column- that a homophobic slur is WRONG, regardless of who said it or who it was said to, and we need to start making changes within hockey culture AND our culture in general to eliminate this as an acceptable status quo.

“Intolerance is wrong in every way, shape and form. It's ugly and you're very lucky if you haven't experienced it in one way or another.”

Yes! Exactly. We agree.

“Operating with full disclosure, I'm apolitical for the most part and feel that the freedoms we enjoy in North America should be available to all regardless of their color or whom they choose to spend their life with, that's not negotiable. Human rights should include all humans, a premise not too hard to figure out.”

We’re so on the same track right here.

“I'm Jewish -- you're likely familiar with the tribe…”

I am a New Yorker, after all! =)

“…a bunch of cats hanging around for about 6,000 years despite all the efforts to eradicate us from the planet by various forms of evil. Whenever something bad in the world happens, we're always at the top of the list as the cause, so I'm well aware of what discrimination looks like.”

Exactly! So as someone who has faced discrimination, you understand why racial slurs have gotta go. It cannot be acceptable to use the “F” word on the playground, at work, or in a hockey jersey, because it unfairly discriminates against a whole group of people, and screams of hatred and bigotry.

“I've also covered Wayne Simmonds during his first three professional seasons in Los Angeles. He's the anti-Avery; a great kid, always approachable, gives interviews even after tough losses, universally well liked by his teammates, and most importantly, gives and earns respect.”

That’s great! Simmonds really impressed me after that whole- extremely unfortunately and offensive- banana incident. While I obviously don’t know him personally, he seems like a good enough guy. That being said, that doesn’t excuse him for the hatred that dripped out of his mouth on Monday.  Maybe he didn’t realize just how offensive it is. I hear high school kids dropping the “N” word all the time- knowing that it’s racist, yet probably not feeling all of the hate that actually comes with the term. I don’t immediately assume that all people who have ever used the “N” or “F” word in their lives are deplorable human beings, but I know that it needs to be taken seriously in schools and in the workplace- including hockey arenas- so people can start to see just how hurtful it really is.

“One of the reasons I cover the sport of hockey is because the nature of the men like Wayne that play it; fortunately there's only one Sean Avery and hopefully there won't be any imitators in the future.”

I thought you were just lucky. We all wish we could watch and talk and write about hockey for a living.

“But on the night in question at Wells Fargo Center, Wayne did make an unfortunate mistake in judgment, but not of character, and it was caught on camera.”

Exactly! That’s what I said! It doesn’t make him the devil, but it certainly makes him responsible for continuing to spew hatred in a society that is having a rough time containing it’s discrimination.

“Avery is an opportunist.”

It’s why he’s the most effective in a league full of trash talkers, isn’t it?

“He uses people and situations to his advantage, while admirable on the ice (where this sad incident took place), it's despicable off the ice.”

Yeah, he’s a jerk, I know. And this has to do with the word that WAYNE SIMMONDS said, how?

“I watched the preseason game against the Flyers and there was a preamble to the Avery/Simmonds incident. Inside of the game's first five minutes, the microphones at ice level picked up a lone voice dropping half a dozen f-bombs and threatening to kill Flyers' center Claude Giroux. I'll give you three guesses who was the author of the verbiage that was heard on live TV throughout North America, and the first two don't count. Here's a hint, it wasn't Nicklas Lidstrom.”

He was probably the first player to ever drop the f-bomb on the ice, too. While threatening to kill Claude Giroux certainly wasn’t very nice, if Giroux felt threatened he could take it to the on-ice officials, or the off-ice officials after the game. If he really doesn’t believe Avery will stab him while he’s sleeping one night, then Avery was probably saying something that many players say on the ice every single night.

“Looks like the fees for those anger management classes Avery attended should be refundable at this point.”

Well, why should you go to anger management classes for an obviously calculated comment, anyway? What Avery says isn’t out of anger or spite; it’s about pissing off his opponents, and it works. You don’t have to like it; plenty of people don’t, and I respect their opinion. But let’s not make it as though Avery is in need of more anger management, when anger is clearly not his motivator.

“With Avery already hot under the collar, he spied the ice for his next victim of his antics and the target was Simmonds.”

Poor, innocent Simmonds!  Avery target him and *MADE* him say those mean, bigoted words!

“There was a dust up and words that were used by Simmonds (yes, he did say them) have been heard throughout the decades in this violent-at-times game played by very tough men.”

So it’s okay that he said them then?

“While it's never right, that's the reality of a testosterone driven game.”

The reality of a testosterone driven game is that we have to discriminate against gay people? Wait, I’m confused.

Even if that deplorable “F” word is used every single game, this instance was unique in that the television cameras caught it, in perfect line of site. And what a great way to open the conversation on what is acceptable and what isn’t acceptable on the ice! Am I to understand that making fun of an ex-girlfriend off the ice and making racial slurs on the ice is unacceptable, but making homophobic slurs is?

I don’t think Simmonds should be suspended- I believe that ugly word is used too often within the game of hockey, and in some ways, it would be unfair to punish Simmonds when there is no previous warning or rule in place. And to the NHL’s credit, I think this is a great time to bring up homophobia in hockey, and perhaps start asking those important questions, such as what kind of derogatory language is not acceptable on the ice. But maybe it is time to start holding players accountable for their homophobic words. Actually, scratch that “maybe”.

“While the Flyers didn't feel the need to send the video the League office to review the clear threat Avery delivered to one of their stars (as that’s what happens in the heat of battle), Avery seized the opportunity to portray himself as a victim. He inferred that because he wears nice suits and came out in favor of same sex marriage that he was the target of a homophobic slur.

What hypocrisy.”

No, hypocrisy is someone who points fingers at others for throwing around (a never proven) racial slur, but says homophobia is okay on the ice because it happened “in the heat of battle.” Avery inferred that he was the target of a homophobic slur because HE WAS THE TARGET OF A HOMOPHOBIC SLUR. Avery could be the manliest man-man who has ever walked around in his man clothes doing man things, and it would not change the fact that someone called him a “faggot.”

And let me help you.

RT @jessespector So, Danny Briere is not a lip-reader. Again, note that Avery didn't make the accusation. He merely confirmed what everyone plainly saw.

So Avery did NOT seize the opportunity to portray himself as a victim, but that’s okay. It’s obvious your reporting is fair and balanced.

“I'm sure when Avery sucker punched the Edmonton Oilers' Ladislav Smid in Madison Square Garden and Theo Peckham wanted to rain down punches on him, it wasn't because of his stance on gay marriage.”

Haha, oh yeah, I remember that fight. Re-watch the video. Smid CLEARLY drops the gloves and Avery bounced on him after Smid challenges Avery. Smid may have been sucker punched, but it wasn’t like Avery Bertuzzi’d the guy. Gloves were off. Challenges were set. But did you forget the part where Peckham tried to chase Avery down the hallway?

Two words for that guy- Anger. Management.

“When Avery carefully orchestrated his 'sloppy seconds' comment about an actress who works in an industry where a high percentage of the employed are gay individuals, I don't think GLAAD would be pleased having a connection to a man who is unafraid to voice public hatred against women.”

“Public hatred against women?” I think that’s a little bit of a stretch, although I already- and gladly- admit that this wasn’t a shining moment in Avery’s career. It was a jerk move by a guy who can be a real jerk.

See? I admitted it! The guy is a jerk! Can we just accept this a move on now, please?

“Rangers fans should root hard for their team, but there are so many other class acts on their team to pick as their favorite, whether it's Brad Richards, Henrik Lundqvist or Ryan Callahan.”

We do, thanks.

“I covered Tortorella for six months in Tampa, the year before he won the Cup, and knowing his reverence for the game, he must bite down hard when he bears witness to this behavior.”

Right, ‘cuz throwing f-bombs around during interviews and squirting water on fans is much more classy.

“There's always room for more tolerance. Brian Burke is right, there is no place for mean spirited bigotry in the sport, but it will continue. The NHL is not alone, if you mic'd up every NFL player this coming Sunday, one could only imagine what you would hear on the gridiron.”

So let’s just accept it, like we accepted all forms of racism and sexism and bigotry in the past. Right? Right?!

…No.

“It benefits everyone that the NHL came out with a release stating fines will be levied for words that have no place in the game or, in reality, life. We can never have enough reminders about tolerance and what is the wrong thing to do.”

Agreed!

“But when Colin Campbell chose not to fine Wayne Simmonds, despite the fact that there was ample video evidence in support, it was really about who was the other party.”

That’s disgusting, plan and simple.  Next time Avery gets boarded, should we let it go? If Avery gets a concussion from a blind-sided hit, should that player not be suspended?

That’s flawed justice. But I suppose there’s a reason why Shanaban has taken over for Colly Campbell to begin with, hm?

“If you had to choose which of the two would be involved in the next act of wrong doing of this nature, it would be a landslide.”

You mean, using a discriminatory word against another player? Since Simmonds is the only one with that one on his record…

“Could have the league have fined Simmonds? They could have, but $2,500 in the grand scheme of things means nothing. The maximum degree of punishment was negotiated into the CBA by both the League and players, so those pointing a finger at Commissioner Gary Bettman for not doing more are so far off course they needs a GPS to get back to reality.”

It would have  sent a message about what is tolerated in the NHL. And apparently, discrimination is tolerated. Tolerated against homosexuals and Sean Avery, because a different set of rules apply.

“What makes this situation especially tricky is that if this was any other player in the League, there would be no discussion and I'd have written no column. I'll support the cause every time, but never this 'advocate' as I operate with the credo that people earn respect with their actions and not entitled to it.”

I wish I lived in your black and white little world. It must be all puppies and diamonds and rainbows. The facts are that bad things happen to good people, and bad things happen to bad people. There are some really mean people out there who are a part of a discriminated minority group. Should I not stand up for their rights not to be discriminated against just because they’re nasty? Mean comes in every color, every religion, every gender and every sexual orientation- but so does good.

This is where you miss the point, Mr. Bernstein. The point is not that “Sean Avery” was called a mean name. The point is that somewhere along the line, our great sport decided it was okay to let those mean words fly around. Would you be as unwilling to stand with Avery if you were gay, Mr. Bernstein? It doesn’t matter who said the word or who it was said to as much as it was said, and it was blatantly obvious to those of us watching the game that night. Upon hearing that it was true, that those words were really spoke, I was personally offended- someone very close to me is homosexual. There were children in the room watching the game with me. I, a straight, grown up female, did not want to be subjected to that kind of hatred.

Gary Bettman- explain this one to your daughter.

That’s an embarrassment to the league, and it’s insulting to fans who don’t want to see that garbage on our televisions.

“The only consistency this player ever has shown has been…”

*coughoffsidescough*

“…his blatant disrespect for the game and the people involved in it, yet now he asks for respect for himself and his values?”

Wrong again. This is not about AVERY, this is about BIGOTRY against gay people. We have, what, a thousand hockey players in the NHL, but NONE of them are gay? Are we supposed to believe that?

Or do you believe as I do, that they suffer in silence, because they would be singled out and persecuted by their fellow players?

“The NHL should be a leader in eradicating bigotry from sport in general, but to make Avery the poster boy for tolerance and to portray him as a martyr would be far worse than turning a blind eye to the incident.”

You have turned a blind eye to the incident.

The incident has nothing to do with Sean Avery, besides the three pages littered with half-truths that you wrote attempting to prove otherwise.

It has everything to do with Wayne Simmonds, a man who was just recently attacked with a particular brand of evil bigotry, dishing out more bigotry to others. End of the story.

“In a sport with hundreds of great guys, it's sad that the rotten egg gets such disproportional attention.”

This is a story you made about him, when it never was about him in the first place. So thanks to adding to the pile.

“If Sean Avery has fooled you into thinking he's a victim, you need to look real hard and see if he's really worthy.”

Puppies and diamonds and rainbows. Victims don’t earn their status through anything other than being victimized. Jerks can be victims.

And this article is just false equivalency.