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He asked not to be drafted; Montreal didn't respect that. If his request was genuine, could he not now simply issue a statement saying he refuses Montreal's action and will not participate with them in any way? Sure, this leaves a bunch of league-ish questions about whether Montreal holds on to his rights until such time as he wants to make himself available (or whether, in so doing, he forfeits the opportunity to be drafted into this league at all), but if he really meant what he said, he ought to try to do something to actually make it come about.
Perhaps I don't know all the facts, but are people actually attacking the victim as Laraque claims? i.e. are people (e.g. the Canadiens or Mailloux) claiming that she shouldn't have put herself in that situation? That she should have known better? I understand that there will be jackasses saying that, but I haven't heard the PR team or others doing that or encouraging it.Secondly, has he been convicted of a crime? (and yes, of course, I'm siding with and believing the victim.) But I'm just asking, factually, is he a sex offender? Speaking of which, while I am not in any way downplaying the seriousness of what he's done, I think we do need to put things in context. He didn't sexually assault or rape anyone. He was either 17 or 18 and likely didn't think of the consequences of what he did. He's harmed this young woman, but is there not a chance for redemption while still respecting the victim?Non-consensually sharing private photos is often done as "revenge porn." That is, to harm someone, to extort them, and so on. It sounds like he just shared them with his buddies; like he was showing off. Still, a terrible (and illegal) thing to do, but not a malicious act. But again, I don't know all the facts.
My only real issue with "sex offender" as used in the media is the implication his crime is on a level of a rapist or someone who's committed sexual assault.
Her suffering will be real, I'm not trying to downplay that all, but he's a young man who's committed a non-violent crime.
Not malicious? Turn it up. This is a sex offense.
Part of our difference is that I do think the "sex offender" label does carry that implication of a very serious crime. It does to me at least. I'm not disagreeing with those that do call it a sex crime, though there are obviously degrees to everything.
One other angle: can we feel bad for the player while also respecting the victim? I say yes. I understand and respect that many will feel "no".
If the NHL were serious about these issues (which they aren't), here's a straightforward solution: if you are convicted in court of abuse of any kind, you're banned from the league for life. No exceptions. That'll do more to get rid of toxic masculinity in elite competitive hockey at all levels than all this hand-waving "concern."It's not a perfect solution. If you can manage to settle a case with a victim (looking at our very own #34 here) to avoid a conviction, then you can wiggle out of it.Of course it will never happen.
The Toronto @MapleLeafs got first-round value when they drafted Matthew Knies from the @TriCityStorm.@GopherHockeyRuss Cohen (@Sportsology) spoke to the Leafs first pick in the 2021 draft and tells his story on Rinkside. 🔓 🔗📰: https://t.co/daFM8mBPvF pic.twitter.com/xGb4q0yKyt— EP Rinkside (@EPRinkside) August 4, 2021
The Toronto @MapleLeafs got first-round value when they drafted Matthew Knies from the @TriCityStorm.@GopherHockeyRuss Cohen (@Sportsology) spoke to the Leafs first pick in the 2021 draft and tells his story on Rinkside. 🔓 🔗📰: https://t.co/daFM8mBPvF pic.twitter.com/xGb4q0yKyt
Quote from: Zanzibar Buck-Buck McFate on July 26, 2021, 11:56:01 AMIf the NHL were serious about these issues (which they aren't), here's a straightforward solution: if you are convicted in court of abuse of any kind, you're banned from the league for life. No exceptions. That'll do more to get rid of toxic masculinity in elite competitive hockey at all levels than all this hand-waving "concern."It's not a perfect solution. If you can manage to settle a case with a victim (looking at our very own #34 here) to avoid a conviction, then you can wiggle out of it.Of course it will never happen.I'm not sure how a sport can be expected to completely write a person off when the very legal system we live in doesn't cancel people for the rest of their lives for similar offences.