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Theo Fleury rips CFL quarterback for defending Paterno

2011 Heritage Classic - Alumni Game

CALGARY, AB - FEBRUARY 19: Theo Fleury #14 of the Calgary Flames Alumni waits for a shot in front of Eric Fichaud #41 of the Montreal Canadiens Alumni during the Alumni game held as part of the 2011 NHL Heritage Classic festivities at McMahon Stadium on February 19, 2011 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. (Photo by Dylan Lynch/Getty Images)

Getty Images

Calgary Stampeders quarterback Henry Burris took to Twitter yesterday and seemed to defend former Penn State football coach Joe Paterno for his role in the school’s sex abuse scandal.

Burris’s tweet was quickly challenged by Theoren Fleury, the former NHL star who claimed in his book, Playing With Fire, that he was sexually abuse by his junior coach, Graham James.

Burris Fleury

Fleury later wrote a post on his blog about his online confrontation with Burris:

Fleury blog

When asked by reporters about his back-and-forth with Fleury, Burris said he was only trying to get people talking and “bring light to the situation.”

You can decide for yourself if Burris was just playing devil’s advocate or if he said something he regretted and was forced to backtrack. It doesn’t really matter. This isn’t about Burris.

For that matter, nor is it about Joe Paterno.

Fleury’s life is testament to the damage sexual abuse causes. If we’re going to listen to anyone, it should be him.