News Article: Friesen on Sawyer and the hazing incident

[Eyeseeing]

Explaining the comments sounds like trying to excuse it. I don't want explanation. I want contrition. I want tears of shame.

Hey Mort this is the thing ...Kevin Sawyer owes you and everyone else nothing.
You were not wronged in anyway so why do you want tears of shame?
This is a weird part of the culture today and it’s a perverse satisfaction of watching others come to repentance where there is no direct participation of the audience demanding the apology.
So respectfully I strongly disagree with your post and and those who agree with it,
It’s a mob mentality at its worst.
I mentioned I was bullied in junior high and year 1 of high school.
I have never forgotten the people who wronged me and I have forgiven them even though it took 20 years.
An apology if it were given I’d want privately not as a public spectacle.
There comes a time to move on from old deeds, this is certainly one of them,

 

[Mortimer Snerd]

Hey Mort this is the thing ...Kevin Sawyer owes you and everyone else nothing.
You were not wronged in anyway so why do you want tears of shame?
This is a weird part of the culture today and it’s a perverse satisfaction of watching others come to repentance where there is no direct participation of the audience demanding the apology.
So respectfully I strongly disagree with your post and and those who agree with it,
It’s a mob mentality at its worst.
I mentioned I was bullied in junior high and year 1 of high school.
I have never forgotten the people who wronged me and I have forgiven them even though it took 20 years.
An apology if it were given I’d want privately not as a public spectacle.
There comes a time to move on from old deeds, this is certainly one of them,

Can we all only care about issues that impact us directly? Am I not supposed to care about racism or antisemitism?

That private apology does nothing to curb bullying. A public one does, or at least might.

I agree with moving on from old deeds. That doesn't mean ignoring them. This might have been one to move on from, if Sawyer hadn't brought it up. He did. Now he needs to address it, so that we can move on.

 

[Eyeseeing]

Can we all only care about issues that impact us directly? Am I not supposed to care about racism or antisemitism?

That private apology does nothing to curb bullying. A public one does, or at least might.

I agree with moving on from old deeds. That doesn't mean ignoring them. This might have been one to move on from, if Sawyer hadn't brought it up. He did. Now he needs to address it, so that we can move on.

Hi Mort.
Yes he opened that can of worms.
Does he need to apologize...wondering if Jared even cares or wants one?
Not everyone wronged wants one as some people shut right down and don’t want to hear excuses in the form of an apology.
Even worse is a forced “ canned “ apology.
I actually don’t like hazing but understand it happened , likely still happens and will likely continue to happen.
Make no mistake I do not condone any of the social ills that go on, however they are not my business if I’m not directly involved.
I myself have wronged people and for me to want to watch a fellow flawed human being being forced to do a public apology doesn’t sit well with me.
Thanks for the civil back and forth as you and I agree on many things here.
Cheers

 

[JetsWillFly4Ever]

It doesn't matter if Spurgeon cares or not. Saran wrapping a 15 year old to a pole, as a 31 year old man nevertheless, is never okay. There is no situation ever, that makes that okay. Bragging about it on TV being your best memory of a kid is advocating for something that is not okay at all. Sawyer deserves whatever punishment he gets.

 

[han316]

It doesn't matter if Spurgeon cares or not. Saran wrapping a 15 year old to a pole, as a 31 year old man nevertheless, is never okay. There is no situation ever, that makes that okay. Bragging about it on TV being your best memory of a kid is advocating for something that is not okay at all. Sawyer deserves whatever punishment he gets.

But he didn't do that.... his teammates did it to sing him happy birthday to him according to Mike McIntyre of the Free Press.
All Kevin Sawyer did was join in on the celebration.

If you have ever been in team sports you would of clued in on the fact that when Sawyer said "we", there would have been a very good chance he meant the team and that it didn't mean he was front and center.

 

[tbcwpg]

But he didn't do that.... his teammates did it to sing him happy birthday to him according to Mike McIntyre of the Free Press.
All Kevin Sawyer did was join in on the celebration.

If you have ever been in team sports you would of clued in on the fact that when Sawyer said "we", there would have been a very good chance he meant the team and that it didn't mean he was front and center.

Why do people have this assumption that if someone isn't ok with what happened, that they haven't played team sports before? I've played team sports since I was 6 and I'm not fine with hazing.

 

[han316]

Why do people have this assumption that if someone isn't ok with what happened, that they haven't played team sports before? I've played team sports since I was 6 and I'm not fine with hazing.

I was talking about his choice of wording. maybe take another look at my post cause you clearly didn't read it.

 

[tbcwpg]

I was talking about his choice of wording. maybe take another look at my post cause you clearly didn't read it.

I think it's pretty clear what "we" means. No one is misinterpreting - the difference being that Sawyer was part of the coaching staff and not one of the minors who played on the team.

 

[han316]

I think it's pretty clear what "we" means. No one is misinterpreting - the difference being that Sawyer was part of the coaching staff and not one of the minors who played on the team.

 

[JetsWillFly4Ever]

But he didn't do that.... his teammates did it to sing him happy birthday to him according to Mike McIntyre of the Free Press.
All Kevin Sawyer did was join in on the celebration.

If you have ever been in team sports you would of clued in on the fact that when Sawyer said "we", there would have been a very good chance he meant the team and that it didn't mean he was front and center.

I've played team sports and I've been hazed so no need for the lecture thanks.

Whether he did the actual wrapping himself, he was clearly a part of it and was advocating for it. It is not important if he actually was the one wrapping the saran.

 

[cbcwpg]

But he didn't do that.... his teammates did it to sing him happy birthday to him according to Mike McIntyre of the Free Press.
All Kevin Sawyer did was join in on the celebration.

If you have ever been in team sports you would of clued in on the fact that when Sawyer said "we", there would have been a very good chance he meant the team and that it didn't mean he was front and center.

I don't care if Sawyer stood 30 feet away while it happened. The fact is he was a coach and an adult, and the second he was aware of what was happening, he should have put a stop to it. The fact he didn't and all he did was "join in"... that should have gotten him a life-time ban from coaching any minors as a minimum.

 

[trebendan]

I missed what he said tonight. Can anyone summarize?

 

[The Blue Baron]

Well I guess he is back at least till his contract runs out or says something stupid again.

 

[Guardian17]

I missed what he said tonight. Can anyone summarize?

 

[nobody imp0rtant]

That couldn't have been more cringe-worthy, even if Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant had collaborated on the script.

 

[Zippity]

Has there been any comments from Spurgeon?

 

[tbcwpg]

Has there been any comments from Spurgeon?

He was asked last week and had no comment.

 

[Yukon Joe]

Weak. If you're going to apologize, says what you're apologizing for. If you say that the story you told was "inaccurate", then correct the record and tell us how it was inaccurate. If you're going to say it was a positive experience for a 16 year old, then why are you apologizing?

 

[Jetfaninflorida]

"I am unaware and had nothing to do with ..."

This comes across as a self exoneration disguised as an apology.

Should have just said: "I said I did this, but I didn't. I just wished him happy birthday. If I actually did what I said I did, that would be bad. Don't do what I said that I did. Even though I didn't really do it, I just said I did. I apologize for saying that I did. "

 

[JetsWillFly4Ever]

That was a bs apology lol.

 

[kylbaz]

But he didn't do that.... his teammates did it to sing him happy birthday to him according to Mike McIntyre of the Free Press.
All Kevin Sawyer did was join in on the celebration.

If you have ever been in team sports you would of clued in on the fact that when Sawyer said "we", there would have been a very good chance he meant the team and that it didn't mean he was front and center.

Unfortunately you are speaking to people that never played a sport in their life and simply wont understand any of this. The fact that some people think that sawyer was the 'leader' is proof of this.

 

[Gm0ney]

He seemed pretty sincere...reading the copy crafted by the PR folks at TNSE. Or TSN. But whatever...I don't think he should be fired or even raked over the coals for what is a pretty mild incident that he wasn't really involved in (despite his original account, where it sounded like he was more a part of it) 15 years ago. He should be fired for being an awful color commentator - fire Maurice and put him in that role...he'd be great! Kill two birds with one stone!

I think it was boneheaded and tone-deaf to tell that story on TV in this era of changing attitudes and social media outrage mobs. TNSE or TSN - whoever put the gag order on it, just amplified it instead of getting out in front of it. Waiting for it to jump from social media to the papers is a bad idea. But Sawyer toes the company line with all his might, so they had to provide cover...you can't can a guy for something relatively insignificant when he's had your back on whitewashing the Jets terrible play all year. Anyway poor judgment all around, but no fireable offenses.

 

[KCjetsfan]

Unfortunately you are speaking to people that never played a sport in their life and simply wont understand any of this. The fact that some people think that sawyer was the 'leader' is proof of this.

Conversely the fact that you don't think an adult in a position of authority should have some kind of handle on (and be responsible for) what kids are doing to another kid is proof of something else.
Source: me - someone who's played team sports from the age of 9 to 24.

 

[cbcwpg]

It's not that he did it I have an issue with ( different time ), it's that he joked about it on TV.

He apologized... I'm good with it.

 

[Jetfaninflorida]

It's not that he did it I have an issue with ( different time ), it's that he joked about it on TV.

He apologized... I'm good with it.

What exactly did he apologize for, in your view?

Hint: He didn't apologize 'that he did it ... (different time )',

because he said that he didn't do it : "I am unaware and had nothing to do with ..."