Islanders spark outrage after controversial fundraising decision involving criminal case
|
Vincent Carbonneau
Apr 16, 2026 (7:16 PM)
|
|
Photo credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images
Mat Barzal and Peter DeBoer watched the Islanders walk into a storm this week, and this one had nothing to do with hockey.
That is the real story here. Not the final score, not the empty seats of another lost spring, but a team promotion that turned into a public relations mess fast.
The Associated Press report says the Islanders showed a fundraiser on the scoreboard during Tuesday's home game against Carolina.
The fundraiser supported the legal defence of former New York City police sergeant Erik Duran, who was convicted of manslaughter in the death of Eric Duprey.
That is why this blew up so quickly. The promotion was not seen as neutral, and the victim's family made that point directly.
Attorney Jon Roberts, speaking for Duprey's family, said the Islanders' decision appeared to support Duran's legal defence and “deepens the pain of a family still grieving.”
An attorney for Duprey's family, Jon Roberts, said they were "deeply troubled by the decision of the New York Islanders to align themselves, even symbolically, with efforts that appear to support Sgt. Duran's legal defence."
"This was not a neutral act," Roberts's statement continued. "It sends a message — intended or not — that risks undermining public confidence in a fair legal process and deepens the pain of a family still grieving." - The Associated Press
"This was not a neutral act," Roberts's statement continued. "It sends a message — intended or not — that risks undermining public confidence in a fair legal process and deepens the pain of a family still grieving." - The Associated Press
That is the line that changes everything. Once the grieving family is publicly saying the team made this worse, the story stops being about a one-night arena promotion.
Controversial fundraising move by Islanders is drawing backlash and raising questions
The report says the scoreboard message included a QR code for direct donations and language from the police union asking fans to join “the fight for justice.”
It also says the union claimed the team would direct one-quarter of the 50-50 raffle proceeds toward the cause. The raffle itself reportedly brought in $44,890.
That is where the optics get brutal. This was the Islanders' final home game of the season, a night that should have belonged to fans and a disappointed team trying to close the year with some dignity.
Instead, the organization is now facing questions about why it aligned itself with something so charged and so painful for another family.
The AP story says the team declined comment. That silence only adds to the damage.
And in New York, these things do not fade quietly. The Islanders already finished out of the playoffs for a second straight season. Now they are carrying a controversy that reaches far beyond the ice.
This is what makes the whole thing so jarring. Sports teams love talking about community, trust, and bringing people together.
The Islanders just spent a home date doing the opposite.
Also read on Puck Reporter :
Stanley Cup Playoffs start Saturday as NHL locks in Game 1 schedule
Stanley Cup Playoffs start Saturday as NHL locks in Game 1 schedule