Toronto Columnist Blasts Marner for “Planted” Story

Toronto Sun columnist Steve Simmons isn’t buying what Mitch Marner and his agent, Darren Ferris, are selling. In his latest piece, Simmons suggests that the recent narrative about Marner’s “safety concerns” in Toronto — pushed in back-to-back interviews by both player and agent — is less about real danger and more about setting the stage for a departure from the Maple Leafs.

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According to Simmons, the sudden media blitz has all the hallmarks of a calculated PR strategy. “This was classic spin-doctoring,” he writes, noting that Marner rarely spoke publicly during his years with the Leafs and Ferris almost never does interviews unless there’s an agenda.

The story, which surfaced shortly after the Leafs’ playoff elimination, claims Marner and his family feared for their safety following online backlash from angry fans. But Simmons says the Leafs, who regularly monitor social media threats and conducted a review of the situation, found “nothing to be concerned about.”

Simmons writes:

“But within days, the story was intentionally planted this week — Marner on TSN, Ferris on a hockey podcast. And it was, or is, believed by some who must also believe in fairy tales, that Marner’s life and that of his family was in danger because of his lack of playoff performance.”

The timing, Simmons argues, is telling. With Marner approaching free agency and a potential trade looming, the “safety” angle could be an effort to paint the All-Star winger as a sympathetic figure — a $11-million-a-year, 100-point player being forced out of Toronto by a hostile environment.

The Marner Story Isn’t Aligning For Many Leafs Fans

For the Leafs and many observers, though, the story doesn’t hold up. “They wonder now about the veracity of all that is being told,” Simmons wrote, suggesting the organization views the claims as more strategic than sincere. Considering it wasn’t that long ago that Marner said fans treated the players in Toronto like “gods” and said he had no intention of leaving, things changed rather quickly.

“That Marner and Ferris are essentially telling the same story at the same time is indicative of planning and planting a reason for wanting out of Toronto more than anything else,” writes Simmons.

Next: Analyst Calls Out “Revisionist History” in Marner Exit Narrative