The Mike Tyson Controversy

Here’s the setup…

A goaltender decided to pay homage to Mike Tyson on a new helmet design.

Enough people were upset by this move and saw it as an endorsement by a sports star and role model of Tyson’s out of ring antics that the goalie was convinced not to wear the helmet again.

Sound entirely too odd for you? Well that’s exactly what happened this week with Ray Emery of the Ottawa Senators. From the CBC story:

Emery stirred up some bad press when he wore a Mike Tyson goalie mask in a 5-0 home loss to Boston on Monday night, so much so that he won’t be wearing the protective artwork again.

“We didn’t ask him not to wear the mask,” Senators general manager John Muckler said Tuesday. “We just had a discussion about what was right and what was wrong. He said he would take it off.”

Emery is a big boxing fan and has two other masks painted with his favourite pugilists — one with Marvin Hagler, a former middleweight champ, and another with Jack Johnson, the first black heavyweight champion.

“He told me the reason he put Tyson on his mask is because he was an idol of his, as a boxer,” said Muckler. “He knows now that [Tyson] he’s lost that right because of his conviction as a rapist and also as a female abuser. And he told me he would take the mask off.”

Also covered by SportsFilter and commentary on a related poll at Battle of Ontario. The poll question: Should Ottawa Senator’s backup goalie Ray Emery be told (by Sens management) he is a role model to children & should get rid of his helmet saluting disgraced boxer Mike Tyson?