Tampa Bay Lightning captain Victor Hedman faces disturbing NHL rumors during mental health absence controversy

Victor Hedman announced his departure earlier this year to take a break from playing in order to work on his mental well-being with the Tampa Bay Lightning. Later, the veteran defenseman issued a statement. It came to the center of attention when radio personality “Bubba the Love Sponge” talked about some unverifiable rumors about Victor Hedman's personal life.The Internet discussion was the subject of criticism by many fans in the National Hockey League, and rumors were labeled as "intrusive". Feeding off some of the comments from fans, a few people said that converting mental health issues to tabloid fodder repels athletes from openly talking about mental health issues or getting professional help in rough periods.Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman put himself in a difficult situation after his controversial mental health comment got picked up by tweets and gained traction. Social media buzz around the fact that Hedman of the Tampa Bay Lightning has thrown down the gauntlet on his mental health sparked controversy that puts him in a no-win situation.Controversy regarding rumors among professional athletes quickly turned back against such speculation, and many pointed to issues with spreading rumors. The backlash also grew to a broader debate about athlete privacy and ethical sports reporting.Several hockey fans drew parallels with other controversies that have existed in the past in the game of hockey, where some type of personal reason involving one of the players creates a much larger stir with less information becoming public knowledge.There have also been private donations to the Tampa Bay Lightning, with no details about the condition of Hedman or his future being provided by the organization.Finally, a few NHL players, especially, have been transparent in the past couple of seasons about emotional health, anxiety and private lives off the ice. He’s also important to how the team defends in the NHL over the course of a season and the leadership roster he’d provide for next season.The bigger issue is now, like many fans, what steps are being taken to take care of players during recovery from mental illness. It is now a fact that no one would dispute any longer that Victor Hedman is a controversial player able to turn into a rumormill about him for reasons or another.