I never liked Theo Fleury as a player for one reason - he always played for the other team! A gifted and indefatigable player despite being relatively small and having diabetes, he broke my heart many times. But the kid could play, always one of the best players in the league during his career.
When his career was over he began to speak out about the sexual abuse he suffered at the hand of his junior coach. He has a new vocation now, more important than the old, and we pray for as great success in his new purpose as he achieved in hockey.
The following from an online magazine The Record.com
When Theo Fleury was a young boy growing up in Russell, Manitoba, Canada., he thought his purpose in life was to play in the NHL. Today, despite having played over 1,000 games in the big league, collecting a Stanley Cup and an Olympic gold medal along the way, he realizes he was wrong.
Fleury, who is now a best-selling author, motivational speaker, and full-time advocate against the sexual abuse of children, wants to help others.
“I want to get as many victims of child sexual abuse into recovery as possible,” said Fleury, who spoke at Conestoga College Thursday. “I want to empower them, I want them to take control of their lives.”
“Child sexual abuse is the biggest epidemic we have on our planet,” Fleury said. Good, it's not just me that thinks that.
Fleury alleged in his 2010 memoir Playing With Fire that former coach Graham James had sexually assaulted him more than 150 times over a three-year span when he was a teenager. The reason it took him 27 years to come forward, said Fleury, is that there is a stigma attached to sexual abuse.
“We have to get rid of the stigma around not telling,” Fleury said. “The more we keep the secret inside, the sicker we get.”
In a recent post on Fleury’s website, he addressed the current Penn State - Sandusky scandal.
“I have one stand: If an adult has even the slightest suspicion that a child is being abused it is your duty as an adult to stand up for that child and do something now! It’s simple.”
“It’s important when these types of stories come out, that we try to protect the victims as much as we can,” said Fleury. “We protect the abusers and re-victimize the victims. It’s backwards.”
Parents also have to be more proactive in their children’s lives, Fleury said. “If your kid suddenly becomes quiet, uninvolved or he’s acting out, it’s a good sign he’s suffered some kind of trauma.”
While Fleury has not seen a reduction in sexual abuse over the years, he said more people than ever seem to be coming forward. “I’ve seen a shift in a short amount of time, but we still have a long way to go.”
The key, said Fleury, is to never give up hope.
“We all have miracles,” he said, “we just gotta go find them.”
Miracles almost never happen without prayer. Let's be praying for these kids. Join my 3:15PM prayer group.
When his career was over he began to speak out about the sexual abuse he suffered at the hand of his junior coach. He has a new vocation now, more important than the old, and we pray for as great success in his new purpose as he achieved in hockey.
When Theo Fleury was a young boy growing up in Russell, Manitoba, Canada., he thought his purpose in life was to play in the NHL. Today, despite having played over 1,000 games in the big league, collecting a Stanley Cup and an Olympic gold medal along the way, he realizes he was wrong.
Fleury, who is now a best-selling author, motivational speaker, and full-time advocate against the sexual abuse of children, wants to help others.
“I want to get as many victims of child sexual abuse into recovery as possible,” said Fleury, who spoke at Conestoga College Thursday. “I want to empower them, I want them to take control of their lives.”
“Child sexual abuse is the biggest epidemic we have on our planet,” Fleury said. Good, it's not just me that thinks that.
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| Theoren Fleury |
“We have to get rid of the stigma around not telling,” Fleury said. “The more we keep the secret inside, the sicker we get.”
In a recent post on Fleury’s website, he addressed the current Penn State - Sandusky scandal.
“I have one stand: If an adult has even the slightest suspicion that a child is being abused it is your duty as an adult to stand up for that child and do something now! It’s simple.”
“It’s important when these types of stories come out, that we try to protect the victims as much as we can,” said Fleury. “We protect the abusers and re-victimize the victims. It’s backwards.”
Parents also have to be more proactive in their children’s lives, Fleury said. “If your kid suddenly becomes quiet, uninvolved or he’s acting out, it’s a good sign he’s suffered some kind of trauma.”
While Fleury has not seen a reduction in sexual abuse over the years, he said more people than ever seem to be coming forward. “I’ve seen a shift in a short amount of time, but we still have a long way to go.”
The key, said Fleury, is to never give up hope.
“We all have miracles,” he said, “we just gotta go find them.”
Miracles almost never happen without prayer. Let's be praying for these kids. Join my 3:15PM prayer group.
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