It doesn’t appear Andre Deveaux will be healthy enough to return to hockey any time soon as he continues to struggle with a concussion.
Deveaux’s agent, Aaron Schwartz, spoke to Sportsnet’s Steve Dangle on Friday following a press conference where Deveaux spoke about a nasty incident in Sweden that led to the former Toronto Maple Leafs forward being suspended — and issued an arrest warrant — for slashing and jumping on an opposing player during the warmups of a playoff game.
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“I mean he certainly didn’t have a clear head,” Schwartz told Sportsnet. “He has a very severe concussion that has changed him right now. Every day is a struggle for him. It has put stress on him and his family, trying to get the real story out there. It’s emotional for everybody.”
According to Deveaux, who spoke in Toronto on Friday, he suffered a significant head injury when he was knocked unconscious by a hit from defenceman Per Helmersson, the player Deveaux later attacked, in a separate Swedish League game.
“The first step was letting everybody see that there’s a second side to the story,” Scwhartz explained. “All I saw on Twitter and in the media was negative comments toward Andre and ‘How could he do this?’ Nobody’s been in that situation. Most people haven’t played professional hockey. Most people haven’t played that role in their lifetime. It’s a passionate sport and there’s not a lot of thought put into reactions on the ice.”
Schwartz said the post-concussion symptoms have been especially rough on Deveaux. He said there are days when Deveaux can’t get out of bed and because of the sheer unpredictability of the injury, it’s unclear when, if ever, he will be able to return to the ice.
“There’s been no talk of returning to hockey right now,” Schwartz said of Deveaux’s health. “Andre has had concussions but this is by far the most severe where it’s affecting his psyche and his emotions.”
Schwartz added that whenever Deveaux is ready and willing to play again, a return to Sweden is unlikely.
“That ship has probably sailed,” Schwartz said. “It has been about one-sidedness from the beginning. There was no punishment to Helmersson, Andre was the one suspended. That’s kind of the media’s fault. Those videos (Helmersson hit on Deveaux) were not the ones being shared. It was just the unfortunate incident before the game in warmups where Andre chopped him in the leg. That was of course what was being played.
“What happened to him was unjust. His actions were unacceptable but the situation and the result was unjust.”
