OTTAWA -- San Jose Sharks captain and former Ottawa 67s player Logan Couture says he regrets the decision to make an incident that happened in Toronto public, and apologizes to the Sharks organization and his family.
In a message on Twitter, Couture says he debated whether or not to speak further about the incident, "however, because much of what I tweeted earlier today has been taken out of context I want to elaborate."
"Bringing politics to my platform is wrong."
In a tweet Wednesday morning, Couture claimed he was "sucker punched" in Toronto for talking about voting for Republicans, and Donald Trump in particular, in the upcoming U.S. election.
Couture said he "talked about voting for the Republican Party, and I mentioned Donald Trump by name."
"I was sucker punched. Is this really what we are coming to? If you vote you are a villain?" he asked.
The 31-year-old centre is a Canadian citizen, meaning he would be unable to vote in the U.S. election, so it appears he was speaking hypothetically.
CTV News has reached out to the San Jose Sharks and the Toronto Police Service for comment. It is unclear whether Couture contacted police following the alleged incident.
In a statement, the San Jose Sharks said, "The San Jose Sharks organization is aware of the incident that occurred on the evening of Aug. 25 in which Logan Couture was assaulted in Toronto. We are thankful that he was not seriously hurt and unequivocally denounce physical attacks or abuse on anyone under any circumstances."
Just after 5 p.m. Wednesday, Couture issued a statement on Twitter.
"I have been debating whether or not to speak further on this matter. However, because much of what I tweeted earlier today has been taken out of context I want to elaborate. Bringing politics to my platform is wrong," said Couture.
"While I did not do a good job of communicating my thoughts earlier today, I do believe that everyone is entitled to their own voice and opinions. But regardless of what anyone believes – and to be clear, I do not believe in supporting Donald Trump – responding with violence isn't the answer and doesn't solve anything."
Couture added, "I regret the decision to make this incident public. I apologize to the Sharks, as well as my family for having to deal with this. I hold myself to a high standard and I apologize for any of my comments that were poorly worded and do not reflect my true feelings or beliefs."
Couture spent four seasons with the Ottawa 67s from 2005 to 2009. He was drafted by the San Jose Sharks in 2007, making his NHL debut in 2009. He has spent his entire NHL career with the Sharks.
Fan reaction on social media was swift, with many pointing out an apparent disconnect between voting for Trump and Couture's previous statements condemning racism. Others said they did not believe the story happened as described. Very few replies spoke in support.
"While we're talking about real things that definitely happened, I was on a date with Priyanka Chopra and we saw Elvis on a UFO," one tweet said.
"I just don't see why you would vote for Trump if you're anti-racist Kinda contradicts itself. You can't throw out all those pretty words of support for your black teammates and then vote for a party that systematically oppresses them," said another.
