A select group of players on the New Jersey-based youth hockey team, the Jersey Hitmen, may need to find another team to play for soon. The owner has threatened to punish several of the players on the age 10 and under team due to the actions of their mothers.
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What did the mothers of the players do to warrant them being booted from the team? Well, they had their own custom jackets made to support their kids in style. Unfortunately, the custom outfits were much to the dismay of the owner, Bobby Reiss.
Hockey Team Owner Threatens to Suspend Players Over Team Jackets
In response to the custom drip, Reiss sent a strongly worded email to the parents. In it, he expressed his frustration with the jackets featuring Jersey Hitmen logos and trademarks. He did not permit the parents to use team branding for the manufactured jackets.
Because the rule is spelled out clearly in the player contracts that are signed ahead of the season, Reiss suspended the children of the mothers who donned the jackets.
"I cannot permit or tolerate these actions," Reiss wrote in a transcript of the email obtained by the New York Post. "Therefore, the parents on this team and their children are suspended until restitution is made to our organization."
In addition to the suspension, Reiss also demanded a 15% royalty for any profits made off the jacket designs.
Reiss Says He Never Suspended Any Players
Once the email went viral online, Reiss received a lot of backlash over his decision. But he later told NJ.com that the players were never officially placed on suspension. But he did threaten to suspend them if the parents did not comply.
The only way parents deal is through their kids," he said to the outlet. "When their actions cause potential issues for their children, then they'll deal with the issue at hand....That's why I used that terminology [sic]: 'I'll suspend your kids.' The only way I can get their interest."
The team also referenced previous instances where others were allowed to manufacture apparel that featured team logos. But they had sought his permission prior to having them produced.
"All I want people to do is respect the boundaries that you agreed to," he added. "We provide a service; they partake of the service, but within that service, there are restrictions."
Reiss concluded by saying that the children in his program would "never be affected" in his decision-making.
