Britta Curl, whose second-round selection in Monday's PWHL draft by Minnesota ignited controversy because of views she has supported on social media, issued an apology to fans in a video released Friday.
Curl, 24, was a two-year team captain for 2023 NCAA women's hockey champion Wisconsin before Minnesota made her the No. 9 overall pick in Monday's draft at Roy Wilkins Auditorium. Before the draft, there had been scrutiny over some of her posts on X, as well as others that she had liked. These included posts attacking inclusive language toward transgender women and supporting their exclusion from women's sports, posts promoting COVID-19 conspiracy theories and a post featuring the "not guilty" verdict for Kyle Rittenhouse, who fatally shot two people and injured another during protests over the police shooting of a Black man, Jacob Blake, in Wisconsin in 2020.
"I recognize that recent events have caused many of you to form an opinion about me, about who I am and how I live my life, and I think I owe it to you guys to come on here and directly respond to these concerns," Curl said in her video, also released on X. "I specifically recognize that my social media activity has resulted in hurt being felt across communities, including LGBTQ+ and BIPOC individuals, and I just want to apologize and take ownership of that.
"I have family members and extremely close friends who are part of these communities, and I love them very much. I've always tried to support them in their pursuits. I wish them the greatest success. I want them to be included, and I'm going to continue to do that."
Minnesota coach Ken Klee faced questions at the draft about Curl's selection. Only days after the PWHL removed Natalie Darwitz from her general manager position, Klee took over the draft for Minnesota at Roy Wilkins and heard boos when he selected Curl.
"We did our homework on her," Klee said. "We talked to coaches who said that she's a great kid, a great competitor, great in the locker room. I talked to her teammates on USA and some other areas. They said, 'She's a great teammate, coach, you'd love to have her.' "
Curl, a North Dakota native, said in her video that she is honored and grateful to have been drafted by PWHL Minnesota, which won the league's first championship last month. She said she's had teammates with different personalities, religious beliefs and political views, "and we've always been able to maintain mutual respect and love."
"However," she added, "I hope to better demonstrate this to PWHL fans and just to the general public. I do not, and I've never held, hate or judgment towards any groups or individuals.
"I've learned so much through this, and I'm seeing it as an opportunity to grow in humility and grow in love.
"... To those of you who may still have reservations, I hope you can extend me the grace to prove to you who I really am."
