Good grief. Good to see it's 2024 and we still blindly assume any male athlete accused is unequivocally 100% guilty. Matt Araiza never happened. Trevor Bauer never happened. Hey, look, that's two prominent examples in just the past few years, yet some folks still seem incapable of thinking pragmatically. Nevermind a decade+ of even crazier cases, including infamous Duke Lacrosse.
It isn't some heroic stance to say he shouldn't play again and should be locked away forever if he raped this girl. DUHHHHH. Everyone agrees with that. However, with what's been made public about the case, idk how anyone could have a definitive opinion yet. The accusations could be true. Or, it could instead be true that this woman willingly engaged with multiple guys, then regretted it and/or made up this narrative to protect her image with parents or whoever. Or, gasp, even wanted money. So tired of people pretending this type of stuff never happens.
All reports say the stepfather informed Hockey Canada. Then, Hockey Canada informed authorities. What father in this situation would inform Hockey Canada and not the authorities??? Not saying this impacts guilt one way or the other, but I thought it was bizarre.
Now, obviously he won't play in the league until the trial is complete. Teams aren't going to risk massive reputational damage (and distraction) for a bottom 6 player that could be found guilty in the near future.
