Eric Staal caught in a lie after refusing to wear Panthers Pride jersey

On Thursday night, the NHL's pride jersey controversy took a new turn when Eric and Marc Staal, brothers who both play for the Florida Panthers, refused to wear the symbolic jersey during warm-ups. Both cited their religious beliefs as the reason.

Following the game, Eric Staal insisted that he has never worn a pride jersey during his pro hockey career.




After giving that quote, some sharp-eyed Twitter users pointed out that's not true, providing both photo and video evidence that he did so just two years ago during his time with the Montreal Canadiens.



While it's his right to exercise his religious beliefs, it's unclear whether his memory is faulty, his beliefs have changed in the intervening time, or he simply forgot. Either way, it doesn't appear that this controversy that has developed this season is going away any time soon.