Wilson sent Bettman a letter Tuesday calling the Washington Capitals captain’s participation "shameful" and asking the league to review the matter.Capitals owner Ted Leonsis was copied on the letter.Rep.
Joe Wilson (right) calls on NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman to review Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin (left) appearing in a United Russia campaign ad tied to Vladimir Putin.(Getty Images)Ovechkin does not speak in the ad.
He stands behind Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in a United Russia campaign video ahead of Russia’s Sept.18-20 parliamentary elections.
Margarita Simonyan, editor-in-chief of the Russian state-controlled network RT, also appears in the ad."While Mr.Ovechkin has every right to hold personal political views, actively participating in campaign material for Putin’s oppressive party while serving as the captain of an NHL franchise in our nation’s capital raises serious questions about the standards expected of players who represent the League and their communities," Wilson wrote.STEPHEN A SMITH WARNS POLITICS IS CAUSING 'DIVISION' WITHIN AMERICA'S LAST UNIFYING PASTIMEThe letter does not ask Bettman to suspend or fine Ovechkin.
Wilson wants the NHL to explain whether it has any policies governing active players who appear in political advertisements for foreign parties or regimes.He also wants the league and Capitals to make clear that Ovechkin’s participation does not represent either organization’s position.Wilson was more direct on social media."It is incredibly alarming that [the NHL] and [the Capitals] have allowed Alexander Ovechkin to appear in a campaign advertisement supporting the party of war criminal Putin," he wrote."American hockey fans deserve better leadership from their star players!"Wilson elaborated on the letter Wednesday during an interview with Fox News’ Dan Scully.Asked what he wanted Bettman to do and whether he was seeking discipline for Ovechkin, Wilson did not directly answer."For Ovechkin to...