William Nylander was fined $5,000 for showing his middle finger to a TV camera on Sunday. He later apologized on social media and has now also addressed the incident while speaking to reporters. But fans aren’t convinced the apology was sincere.
The Toronto Maple Leafs are struggling at the moment. On Sunday, they suffered their fourth straight loss, all at home. Not only are they losing, but they’re also missing a key player in William Nylander. Despite not being on the ice, Nylander still made headlines.
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William Nylander fined
While sitting in the stands and being filmed by a TV camera, William Nylander showed his middle finger, an action that resulted in a $5,000 fine issued on Monday. He later posted an apology on Instagram.
“Only love for Leafs Nation. Sorry about my moment of frustration today. Didn’t mean to upset anyone. Looking forward to being back on the ice and not in the stands. Love, Willy,” the post read.
Nylander also spoke to reporters on Monday and apologized again.
“First of all, I just want to apologize for my actions yesterday. It was out of frustration, and I’m sorry about that. Not playing, I just want to be out there with the guys. Sitting there, I got a text message… and I was like, oh, not a good idea. Not a good thing to do,” Nylander said about the incident.
Fans are not buying the apology
However, many fans questioned the sincerity of William Nylander’s apology, pointing out that he appeared to be smiling during the interview.
“Most disingenuous apology I’ve ever heard or saw. Smirking the whole time,” one fan wrote on X.
“What a cringey thing to do all around as a 30-year-old man. The act, the ‘apology,’ his demeanor through the whole thing. Never felt secondhand embarrassment so strongly for an athlete,” another fan wrote.
“He was laughing when he flipped it, he was laughing when he apologized. Spare me the ‘I was frustrated’ spin,” a third fan added.
You can watch the interview below.
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