GDT: Free agency madness, brought to you by the letter G

[bicboi64]

Niederreiter signs for 2 years, $4 million aav. Not a bad deal/term, but the Preds really need Duchene to maintain production from last year and for Johanson to step it up and be worth his price tag if they want to go deep, he's scored 20 goals once and hit 60 points twice since coming to Nashville.

 

[Wondercarrot]

Every lawyer is different and will take a different approach. This thirst for "statements" is so bizarre. Statements won't change the course, or outcome, of the investigation. Players will either be implicated, identified and face consequences, or be cleared.

The players involved in this situation need to be forthcoming with investigators. Not with Twitter.

And yes, you're free to make your own assumptions and conclusions at any point in time. Go for it. But your opinions and conclusions don't matter. They won't impact whether any of these players face criminal or professional consequences.

I look forward to you and the rest of our robot overlords from Cybertron injecting rationality into the public sphere where public reputations are maintained.
IMO opinion you over estimate people being “cleared”.
You didn’t really comment on the same agent putting out statements for a couple of other players but not for Batherson do you suppose the Batherson told his lawyer that he would prefer to remain quiet? Why not take his lawyers advice. What do suppose the difference is there?

 

[DaveMatthew]

I look forward to you and the rest of our robot overlords from Cybertron injecting rationality into the public sphere where public reputations are maintained.
IMO opinion you over estimate people being “cleared”.
You didn’t really comment on the same agent putting out statements for a couple of other players but not for Batherson do you suppose the Batherson told his lawyer that he would prefer to remain quiet? Why not take his lawyers advice. What do suppose the difference is there?

I have no idea why Batherson hasn't put out a statement. Neither do you. But let's take a look at a couple of these:

“All of Global News’ questions will be asked and answered during the pending NHL investigation. Dillon did not engage in any wrongdoing, and he cooperated fully with the independent London Police Service investigation in 2018, through which all players were then cleared of any wrongdoing.”

“Boris has fully cooperated with the Hockey Canada investigation and will continue to provide that cooperation in any further investigation. Beyond this statement we are not commenting further.”

"All of Global News’ questions will be asked and answered during the pending NHL investigation. That said, none of the players you reference engaged in any wrongdoing, all of the players cooperated fully with the independent London Police Service investigation in 2018, and all players were then cleared of any wrongdoing,”

These statements aren't clearing anyone of anything. So this "check them off the list" process of elimination approach people are taking is bizarre.

Hell, Deshaun Watson has made all sorts of statements.

 

[Union2017]

I have no idea why Batherson hasn't put out a statement. Neither do you. But let's take a look at a couple of these:

“All of Global News’ questions will be asked and answered during the pending NHL investigation. Dillon did not engage in any wrongdoing, and he cooperated fully with the independent London Police Service investigation in 2018, through which all players were then cleared of any wrongdoing.”

“Boris has fully cooperated with the Hockey Canada investigation and will continue to provide that cooperation in any further investigation. Beyond this statement we are not commenting further.”

"All of Global News’ questions will be asked and answered during the pending NHL investigation. That said, none of the players you reference engaged in any wrongdoing, all of the players cooperated fully with the independent London Police Service investigation in 2018, and all players were then cleared of any wrongdoing,”

These statements aren't clearing anyone of anything. So this "check them off the list" process of elimination approach people are taking is bizarre.

Hell, Deshaun Watson has made all sorts of statements.

Correct. Again, like I said elsewhere, OJ wrote the entire book how he didn't do it. I still don't believe him.
Oscar Pistorious said he thought it was a burglar in his bathroom. Yeah, right.

 

[BonHoonLayneCornell]

Correct. Again, like I said elsewhere, OJ wrote the entire book how he didn't do it. I still don't believe him.
Oscar Pistorious said he thought it was a burglar in his bathroom. Yeah, right.

R. Kelly and Ghislaine Maxwell seem to think they're innocent too.

 

[Cosmix]

It’s an actual black and white issue…not outlandish at all to think there is disparity there. Do you see what the CRA takes off each of your paycheques? It’s a dream for anyone to live tax free or with a significantly lesser tax burden. There’s a reason Swiss/Cayman/what have you banks exist.

It's interesting that when you go to Cayman you feel like you are still in Canada.

CIBC on one corner, BNS on another, BOM around the corner.

 

[Wondercarrot]

given there is clearly no issue with players having statements out through their lawyers, I’d say anyone here who was in this situation who knows they were not in the room and therefore did nothing wrong saying they wouldn’t put out a statement defending themselves is a liar lol.

Now could some who put out a statement be lying, I guess so sure - but again IMO that doesn’t change the fact that if you weren’t involved you’d be saying it out loud.

 

[Burrowsaurus]

So andersson or TAnev?

 

[Senator Stanley]

Yeah seems like a PR move because this has the chance (if it already hasn’t) to become a very high profile thing.


I don’t think there were people in the room not partaking ? At least not from what I’ve read?

FWIW, "Among the seven players who have retained counsel, their lawyers say there are two groups: those who engaged in what they describe as consensual group sexual activity, and those who were in the room at one point but left and did not take part in the sexual activity."

Players’ lawyers criticize Hockey Canada’s handling of settlement over alleged sexual assault

Lawyers of seven members of the 2018 world junior hockey team say clients should have been given chance to counter allegations of sexual assault

www.theglobeandmail.com

 

[swiftwin]

Some of the players that came out with statements share the same agent as Batherson as well.

Now this doesn't mean guilty at all obviously.

I really hope Drake and Alex didn't do shit

Someone brought up the theory that if Formenton was involved and does not want to release a statement, Batherson may not want to release a statement which would essentially throw Formenton under the bus.

 

[Gil Gunderson]

Someone brought up the theory that if Formenton was involved and does not want to release a statement, Batherson may not want to release a statement which would essentially throw Formenton under the bus.

That's one theory, but now the spotlight is shining on both of them so I don't see what the benefit now is for the innocent party (if there is one). I'm not sure how thrilled someone would be to humiliate themselves in the public eye just to cape for a potential rapist.

And if someone in the organization suggested that strategy (which I highly doubt) then f*** them too.

 

[Bevans]

Someone brought up the theory that if Formenton was involved and does not want to release a statement, Batherson may not want to release a statement which would essentially throw Formenton under the bus.

I find it extremely hard to believe Batherson could be this altruistic. We've clearly reached the every man for himself stage.

 

[Adele Dazeem]

We aren’t entitled to know, and no the statements themselves aren’t absolving them of anything.
HOWEVER since humans are not robots and develop things called emotions - players are human too and regardless of outcome the best option for someone who knows they had nothing to do with anything is to put out a statement making it clear they want everyone to know they had nothing to do with it.
I hear a lot of vitriol riding towards Batherson and Formenton but none for Mete, Makar or others who put out statements, why do you think that is?

Let me ask you this - if you were accused of being part of a gang rape and you knew you had nothing to do with it, would you sit quietly in your basement waiting for it to pass or would you be screaming from the top of your lawyers lungs that you are not a rapist?
You just have a pretty cool, calm, unflappable demeanour if you are good with being labelled a rapist in the court of public opinion when you could at least defend yourself, then also have it proven.

Lol such a one-sided way of looking at it. The rapists could easily say they're innocent as well and hope for this to blow away just like it did for years...

given there is clearly no issue with players having statements out through their lawyers, I’d say anyone here who was in this situation who knows they were not in the room and therefore did nothing wrong saying they wouldn’t put out a statement defending themselves is a liar lol.

Now could some who put out a statement be lying, I guess so sure - but again IMO that doesn’t change the fact that if you weren’t involved you’d be saying it out loud.

That's not the point being made. The point is one way or another you can't fully know until the investigation or a testimony are made.

 

[Mingus Dew]

A few weeks ago when the statements were sporadic I think that "no comment" or plain silence was relatively sound legal counsel (and I said as much on these boards).

Things have changed. There has been an avalanche of "I wasn't involved" statements made. The more of those that come out the more it behooves anyone who truly wasn't involved to say so. If the "silent" players are being counselled to stay silent that is not a good sign at this juncture.

 

[GCK]

Rape has not been proven, I think throwing that word around as fact is dangerous.

 

[DaveMatthew]

A few weeks ago when the statements were sporadic I think that "no comment" or plain silence was relatively sound legal counsel (and I said as much on these boards).

Things have changed. There has been an avalanche of "I wasn't involved" statements made. The more of those that come out the more it behooves anyone who truly wasn't involved to say so. If the "silent" players are being counselled to stay silent that is not a good sign at this juncture.

There's a section of fans/social media who already believe with certainty that a crime was committed and all that's left to do is identify the players there. And for some reason, they're taking these statements as gospel and doing a process of elimination.

But the reality is, it has yet to be proven that a crime was committed.

Would anyone feel better if Batherson came out and said, "I didn't engage/wasn't involved in any wrongdoing", like many of the others? Because if the player's stance is that everything was consensual, which it is, a statement like that doesn't actually remove him, or anyone else, from the room.

 

[swiftwin]

Rape has not been proven, I think throwing that word around as fact is dangerous.

You have this upside down. Not being allowed to talk about this without proof is what's dangerous and allows it to continue.

 

[Tuna99]

Rape has not been proven, I think throwing that word around as fact is dangerous.

this is about social(Twitter) justice, not legal justice.

Legal justice doesn't really exist in sex assault cases, that's why its been taken to the streets

 

[Gil Gunderson]

Rape has not been proven, I think throwing that word around as fact is dangerous.

Saying there is potentially rape involved and outright calling someone a rapist are two separate things. Nobody is sentencing anyone here, just suspicions.

 

[Marty Straka]

Could we maybe move all this HC Scandal to its own thread.. Let's get back to talking hockey and FA/Trades

 

[BonHoonLayneCornell]

Could we maybe move all this HC Scandal to its own thread.. Let's get back to talking hockey and FA/Trades

They don't allow it. Main boards only.

 

[GCK]

Saying there is potentially rape involved and outright calling someone a rapist are two separate things. Nobody is sentencing anyone here, just suspicions.

Have you seen the social media posts about them being rapists

 

[Mingus Dew]

There's a section of fans/social media who already believe with certainty that a crime was committed and all that's left to do is identify the players there. And for some reason, they're taking these statements as gospel and doing a process of elimination.

But the reality is, it has yet to be proven that a crime was committed.

Would anyone feel better if Batherson came out and said, "I didn't engage/wasn't involved in any wrongdoing", like many of the others? Because if the player's stance is that everything was consensual, which it is, a statement like that doesn't actually remove him, or anyone else, from the room.

First thing I'll say is that when you're a sports/entertainment attorney actual legal defense and representation is only part of your job. The other part of your job is giving advice to your client and counselling them on things like PR and reputation (often with the help of third party consultants).

I'm not taking anything as gospel. I'm saying that any player that was not involved or not present should be saying so in the current environment and with the facts as they are. That is the absolute best thing for them to do from a PR standpoint as an expectation has developed that silence = presence.

Saying "I didn't engage in any wrongdoing" is not the same thing. It implies that the speaker was in fact involved but that they believe they did nothing wrong (i.e., the sex act was consensual). That's really no better than silence at this point because most people are not willing to entertain the "it was totally consensual" angle. You were either in that room taking part or you weren't. If you were involved, folks are not going to be sympathetic to an argument that things were consensual. Thus, silence.

 

[Gil Gunderson]

Have you seen the social media posts about them being rapists

Yes, I'm talking about what's going on here on HF. And if anything, those social media posts leave me wondering even more why an innocent person wouldn't just come out and deny involvement, unless they have some unprecedented level of thick skin and don't care what their family/friends/fans think about them.

 

[Bileur]

Mods if the discussion about the 2018 alleged incidents is going to take over the FA threads, could we maybe just have a separate thread open to have that discussion?



Don’t let him go back to Arizona.