Linus Ullmark last took to the ice for the Ottawa Senators on Dec. 27. He was pulled just 27:28 into the game after allowing four goals on 14 shots. The next day, he was granted a leave of absence from the team. This led to multiple online rumors, which were vehemently denied by the Senators and teammates.
For the first time, Ullmark has now broken his silence on the false rumors.
“The rumors that was being spread about me and my family started the day after I take an absence of leave. And people wonder why hockey players, professional athletes, are not talking. Why we're not showing any sort of emotions, why mental health in men and in women are a stigma. It took them less than 24 hours from my absence of leave to try to find reasons to why I'm gone, saying that I'm a homewrecker, a person that no one likes on the team, and I can't defend myself,” Ullmark told Claire Hanna of TSN in a clip of a sit-down interview that will be released on Tuesday.
“Like I didn't know about this until days later. And it sucks because I have a family, I have a wife, I have kids, I get sent text messages asking like, ‘Hey, are you guys good?' I'm like ‘Yeah, why?' And then, you know, they tell you about the rumors, and you're like, what the f*** is wrong with people?”
Ullmark has returned to practice for the Senators, but has yet to return to play in a game. The rumors of infidelity spread quickly, leading to harsh reactions from multiple sources.
“It’s pretty f***ing bull****, I don’t think anybody's pretty happy about a narrative being spread like that. I think it's okay for people to critique our on-ice performance, but when it gets into family, it's pretty f***ing bull****,” Sens captain Brady Tkachuk previously said about the rumors, per Sportsnet hockey insider Elliotte Friedman.
Ullmark is now addressing a much bigger issue: the mental health of athletes. While he did not give a full reason for his leave in the clip released, he addressed a major issue for athletes. The mental health stigma is only exacerbated by false rumors and incorrect narratives.
As Ullmark works to return to the Senators, which should bring joy to fans, he has to make sure he is mentally healthy, which is of the utmost importance. Hopefully, this conversation by Ullmark can be a launching point for a bigger discussion around athletes' mental health.
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