The UConn men's hockey team has joined with the You Can Play Project to help put an end to homophobia in sports, launching a public service announcement to support You Can Play's goal of ensuring equality, respect and safety for all athletes, without regard to sexual orientation.

UConn Hockey PSA | youcanplayproject.org

"I think us getting involved with the You Can Play Project just fits into our goal to continue to grow our program and to improve hockey in the community," said UConn junior captain Sean Ambrosie. "We really wanted to step up and show some leadership to tell the world about how we feel about the game of hockey. If you can play, you can play. It doesn't matter your sexuality."

The You Can Play Project was created by the late Brendan Burke, son of Brian Burke, General Manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Brendan was a student manager for the Miami RedHawks. The mission of the organization is to guarantee that athletes are given a fair opportunity to compete and be judged by other athletes and fans alike, only by what they contribute to the sport or their team's success.

More to Come

UConn is one of several college hockey programs supporting the You Can Play project.

"Strong message from UConn hockey," tweeted Patrick Burke (@BurkieYCP), president of You Can Play and Brendan's brother. "Very nice to see. Excited to roll out similar videos from Miami, Denver, and others soon."

You Can Play seeks to challenge the culture of locker rooms and spectator areas by focusing only on an athlete's skills, work ethic and competitive spirit.

"This is a project that the players brought forward to the coaching staff," said head coach Bruce Marshall. "They thought it would be a good way to bring attention to issues that are out there and are prevalent on college campuses and in the real world. I give them credit for taking the lead on this and showing the initiative to support a good cause."