Thomas Talks...Again

As much as I would like to tell you that Thomas is speaking out about how he has made a mistake in taking the year off and apologizes to the Bruins Organization and fans alike, sadly, that is not the case. Thursday afternoon Tim Thomas posted, once again, on Facebook stating, "I stand with Chick-Fil-A." As we all know, Thomas is no stranger to controversy, and he made it well-known once again with his statement regarding he shares the same views as Chick-Fil-A President Dan Cathy regarding the opposition of same-sex marriage.

So, let us get this straight. Thomas, who has used his Facebook page in the past to make waves and announce his sitting out for a year, is still at it?! The media hype had finally settled down and Bruins fans were accepting the fact that he is his own person and that he is sitting out for the season, and Thomas had to bring himself in the limelight, again.

Being against same-sex marriage is an opinion, one that many people in this world share. The difference between Thomas and a majority of other professional athletes? The majority of professional athletes know to keep their personal views/lives separate from their work/profession. If Thomas were to have posted his views on a personal page with just personal friends and family, by all means, voice your opinion. By going viral with his statements, he is further opening the door to criticism. Yes he currently has 2,022 people that "Like" the Chick-Fil-A status, but there are also 1,503 comments of mixed reviews. So one has to question, is he doing this to see how "true" his fan base is, or to see how many "Likes" he can get on a status?

Now, I don't want this to sound like I am criticizing Thomas for having an unpopular opinion as many people are going to assume, I'm not. Everyone is entitled whether we agree with what they are saying or not. The piece of this puzzle that I have an issue with is how Thomas handles himself after the fact. He gets offensive and pushy and acts unprofessional when he is asked about his posts. He doesn't know how to handle the backlash he may or may not get from it. This is why some athletes keep their beliefs to themselves, so as not to get caught up in the whirlwind of the media. Essentially, it's not just making Thomas look bad with his bad atitude regarding his posts later on, but it is reflecting the entire Boston Bruins Organization. While it shouldn't matter what one person says off the ice when it comes down to the locker room, unfortunately for Bruins members and fans alike, that isn't the case.

Does Thomas realize by his statement of standing with Chick-Fil-A, he is openly dismissing the You Can Play Project? A movement that is dedicated to ensuring equality, respect and safety for all athletes, without regard to sexual orientation. It also works to guarantee that athletes are given fair opportunities and not judged by athletes and fans alike. Thomas' statement abolishes this movement in itself, so what does this say for him as a 'team player'?

Being part of a team, means that you have a group of individuals who are willing to work together for a common purpose. All team members should help each other and work in unison. In sports management we are taught, "personal interests must take a back seat and all of them must deliver their level best to achieve the team objective. Team members must not argue among themselves or underestimate the other member." It is a well-known and well-stated fact that the Boston Bruins are a close group that stand together through almost any event whether it be the re-signing of a player or a wedding. With a team so close and bonded, how can Thomas be so self-centered? It is because of the reasons just listed that Thomas is giving himself a bad name. I'm not saying he isn't a great and phenomenal goaltender, he is. His efforts on the ice are arguably among the best of the League. His efforts in the 2011 Playoffs aren't going unnoticed, but they don't give him the right to be arrogant and make a spectacle of himself either. Just because he is a Stanley Cup Champion doesn't make his word that comparable to God.

Thankfully, with Thomas sitting out this season, his teammates don't have to answer for him anymore. While it was stated that last season he was a "good teammate" and that his personal views didn't impact the guys in the locker room, this season there will be no need to cover for the goaltender. WEEI asked a member of the Boston Bruins what they thought of his current post on Facebook to which they stated:

"He isn’t playing next year, which means he’s not my teammate, which means I don’t have to react to his Facebook posts."(via Big Bad Blog)

While there are mixed views on this situation and there will probably never be an agreement made on this subject, the fact of the matter reverts back to an old rule, if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all. In this case, keep your personal views in your private life, everyone is sick of hearing your name.