The situation unfolding between the New York Rangers and defenseman Tony DeAngelo is something we’re going to be keeping our eyes on. DeAngelo, who is widely known as a Donald Trump supporter and has connected himself to COVID-19 hoax theories, quickly deleted his Twitter account this week. There were theories as to why, but reports coming out on Thursday are that this might have been at the directive of the New York Rangers organization.
Related: New York Rangers Sign Ryan Strome, But Almost Walked From Deal
Matt Porter, an NHL Network writer notes today:
I put in an interview request with the Rangers for Tony DeAngelo, to chat about what’s on his mind. Not happening. As for the now-deleted @tonydee07 account and coronavirus denialism, etc. tweets, I’m told it was “handled internally.”
It’s not often you see a team step in on a player’s social media, but there could be a reason as DeAngelo was taking a lot of heat for some of his recent comments. So too, this is not the first time the Rangers gotten involved when it comes to the defenseman’s take or opinions on political or societal matters.
The franchise distanced themselves from DeAngelo’s podcast Watch Your Tone and it sounds like they are not happy with one of their own players promoting the coronavirus as a hoax. While they can suggest his opinions in no way reflect on that of the team’s, there’s still a code of conduct by which the team expects players to adhere to.
DeAngelo Has Lost A Lot of Support
There are some fans having a bit of fun with the DeAngelo talk today. Some are suggesting he closed the account himself after the election started to swing the way of Democratic candidate Joe Biden. Others are claiming he turtled with his Twitter takes like he does on the ice.
We won’t comment on that here, only to say that this is the type of scrutiny one opens themselves up to when they are in the spotlight as an athlete and take controversial stances on some very important matters for hockey fans.
Next: Washington Capitals Won’t Be Alex Ovechkin’s Final Team Says NHL Star
