Auston Matthews calls out journalist who reported positive COVID-19 test

Maple Leafs star Auston Matthews took umbrage with a prominent hockey reporter following Toronto’s 2-0 loss to Columbus on Sunday.

Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun reported that Matthews tested positive for COVID-19 in June, the lone reporter who identified the Leafs’ forward publicly as the unnamed player who received the positive test.

When Simmons was queued up in the post-game conference, Matthews expressed his displeasure with the reporter’s prior story.

“First of all, it’s unfortunate I’m getting a question from you at this point, Steve. I just wanted to say that I didn’t appreciate the article you wrote about me a couple of months ago. I thought it was a bit unethical, to be honest,” Matthews said, before responding to Simmons’ question about the Blue Jackets’ defensive systems.

Simmons would later respond to Matthews’ remarks, saying he would’ve followed up with him earlier if it weren’t for the global pandemic.

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