NHL BlackHawks sexual assault case - Blackhawks fire Jeremy Colliton

[Dr Hook]

Here's my issue with this stuff.

It doesn't go from 0-100 in 3 days. Meaning each of the stupid acts or team traditions, for lack of a better word, didn't start all at once. Where were the coaches, parents, teachers, administrators when the first hint of inappropriate behavior happened? The second? Third?

Even if the coach was 100% aware and did nothing, there is no way that this stuff was kept under wraps and no parent, teacher, rink attendant, administrator etc. had no idea any of it was going on.

Not to mention the culture that these kids are coming into, and how long as that been the expected norm for them? 10 years? 20? 30?

 

[HustleB]

Here's my issue with this stuff.

It doesn't go from 0-100 in 3 days. Meaning each of the stupid acts or team traditions, for lack of a better word, didn't start all at once. Where were the coaches, parents, teachers, administrators when the first hint of inappropriate behavior happened? The second? Third?

Even if the coach was 100% aware and did nothing, there is no way that this stuff was kept under wraps and no parent, teacher, rink attendant, administrator etc. had no idea any of it was going on.

When I was in High School I chose to stay Public because the rumors I heard about a Private School Hockey team in the city. Even then, my local school haze regularly up until I was in 8th grade, when one student went public. There was an effort to close ranks because the whole community knew. I was personally willing to take the beating and embarrassment but luckily wasn't forced to. The only thing I feared was the sexual stuff and locally the worst I heard was kids being whipped with a wet towel in the shower. The kid who finally reported the year before I got there was urinated on. So yeah I can understand how stuff slides. But ultimately urination was the bar in my town. It seems like these other places, it is like a mob. Continue to do what you have always done, it's proven to be accepted. Then make it a little worse then what you got. That is the cycle of hazing. It takes a strong person to end it, because life as that person knew it ends the day they report. That's what happened with my friend.

We need to push through. I don't know the secret to get it done, beyond the bravery of those who go through it and report it, because in all likelihood they will be alone.

 

[sarge88]

When I was in High School I chose to stay Public because the rumors I heard about a Private School Hockey team in the city. Even then, my local school haze regularly up until I was in 8th grade, when one student went public. There was an effort to close ranks because the whole community knew. I was personally willing to take the beating and embarrassment but luckily wasn't forced to. The only thing I feared was the sexual stuff and locally the worst I heard was kids being whipped with a wet towel in the shower. The kid who finally reported the year before I got there was urinated on. So yeah I can understand how stuff slides. But ultimately urination was the bar in my town. It seems like these other places, it is like a mob. Continue to do what you have always done, it's proven to be accepted. Then make it a little worse then what you got. That is the cycle of hazing. It takes a strong person to end it, because life as that person knew it ends the day they report. That's what happened with my friend.

We need to push through. I don't know the secret to get it done, beyond the bravery of those who go through it and report it, because in all likelihood they will be alone.

It's got to be the parents ---I know that every kid and family are different--- but my daughter has always been very, very (oftentimes too much so) honest with my wife and I. She told us things about coaches, teammates, other parents that we wouldn't have known otherwise. Nothing scandalous, or that would result in any coaches getting fired or anything and the stuff about teammates was run of the mill stuff that was not hazing or anything like that -- I mean I think we all know that HS kids drink and now a days, vape.

But there is no doubt in my mind that if hazing was going on and the coaches were encouraging it or turning a blind eye, she'd have told us. I also don't think our family is in the minority in regard to this.

 

[Fenway]

It's got to be the parents ---I know that every kid and family are different--- but my daughter has always been very, very (oftentimes too much so) honest with my wife and I. She told us things about coaches, teammates, other parents that we wouldn't have known otherwise. Nothing scandalous, or that would result in any coaches getting fired or anything and the stuff about teammates was run of the mill stuff that was not hazing or anything like that -- I mean I think we all know that HS kids drink and now a days, vape.

But there is no doubt in my mind that if hazing was going on and the coaches were encouraging it or turning a blind eye, she'd have told us. I also don't think our family is in the minority in regard to this.

Another troubling layer in Danvers - the coach was also the police officer assigned to the school. That makes reporting an issue problematic.

 

[jgatie]

When I was in High School I chose to stay Public because the rumors I heard about a Private School Hockey team in the city. Even then, my local school haze regularly up until I was in 8th grade, when one student went public. There was an effort to close ranks because the whole community knew. I was personally willing to take the beating and embarrassment but luckily wasn't forced to. The only thing I feared was the sexual stuff and locally the worst I heard was kids being whipped with a wet towel in the shower. The kid who finally reported the year before I got there was urinated on. So yeah I can understand how stuff slides. But ultimately urination was the bar in my town. It seems like these other places, it is like a mob. Continue to do what you have always done, it's proven to be accepted. Then make it a little worse then what you got. That is the cycle of hazing. It takes a strong person to end it, because life as that person knew it ends the day they report. That's what happened with my friend.

We need to push through. I don't know the secret to get it done, beyond the bravery of those who go through it and report it, because in all likelihood they will be alone.

My first year of High School (we started HS as Sophomores) they tried to haze me at captain's practice and I was having none of it. I beat off a couple with my fists then started swinging a stick. Lucky for me the team captain (who was my ride to the rink and tougher than any 5 of the others combined) walked in then and said "He came with me, and anybody getting to him has to go through me."

Before that, there were rumors about a coach who had an summer team for "elites" that my father wouldn't let me join even though I was asked. I was 12 at the time, so I didn't understand. But my dad sure as hell did.

 

[KnightofBoston]

Here's my issue with this stuff.

It doesn't go from 0-100 in 3 days. Meaning each of the stupid acts or team traditions, for lack of a better word, didn't start all at once. Where were the coaches, parents, teachers, administrators when the first hint of inappropriate behavior happened? The second? Third?

Even if the coach was 100% aware and did nothing, there is no way that this stuff was kept under wraps and no parent, teacher, rink attendant, administrator etc. had no idea any of it was going on.

nailed it

also a good reminder of how abuse and hatred in all of its ugly forms is truly systemic and not just one offs and bad apples to the people still trying to brush it off


And directly after I post, in comes fenways’

Another troubling layer in Danvers - the coach was also the police officer assigned to the school. That makes reporting an issue problematic.

I wish I could say I’m shocked but, I’m quite grounded

 

[Kate08]

Bettman’s comments here aren’t a very good look.

Beach 'courageous', says mother of high school player assaulted by Aldrich - TSN.ca

 

[Fenway]

Bettman’s comments here aren’t a very good look.

Beach 'courageous', says mother of high school player assaulted by Aldrich - TSN.ca

@Kate08 Bettman has NOT been on his A-game with this crisis and the reason is simple - There are owners and then special owners.

Mark Chipman (Winnipeg), Murray Edwards (Calgary), Jeremy Jacobs (Boston), Craig Leipold (Minnesota), Ted Leonsis (Washington), Geoff Molson (Montreal), Henry Samueli (Anaheim), Larry Tanenbaum (Toronto), Jeff Vinik (Tampa Bay) and well, Rocky Wirtz (Chicago) make up the owners’ executive committee. This is the smaller group of owners along with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman that wields more power than the full Board of Governors in the sense that many items that end up on the full, 32-owner Board of Governors menu have already been discussed ahead of time, sometimes decided, by the executive committee. If you’re a future NHL owner, you meet with Bettman first, but also meet eventually with the executive committee before you ever hear from the full Board of Governors.

In short, a lot of the league’s business gets dealt with in this smaller executive committee.

Notice James Dolan (Rangers) is not invited.

 

[mikelvl]

Glass Company CEO's History of Sexual Misconduct Revealed - USGlass Magazine & USGNN Headline News

Apparently the scumbag rapist is now a CEO for a glass company in Houghton, Michigan, where he raped a teenage boy. Disgusting.

 

[BMC]

Jonathan Toews is a piece of shit.

So is Duncan Keith after his comments tonight.

I can't remember the last time I was so disappointed with an athlete. I learned a long time ago that many of them are people you would never willingly invite into your home. I always held Toews & Keith in high regard but they've revealed themselves to be just two more elite talented assholes.

 

[BMC]

For me, Donald Fehr's name is one of the most damning ones to come out of all of this. Here's a guy who leads the NHLPA, an organization that (theoretically) exists to protect the interests and well-being of its players against those of the team and the league and yet, after being notified of the incident, he chose to ignore it and do nothing. Probably because there was no money involved, sadly. Both the Blackhawks and the NHL are rightfully being torn to shreds over their failures in handling this but, in my opinion, Fehr and the NHLPA deserve just as much, if not more, shame heaped on them since it is literally their job to support and stand up for the rights of people like Kyle Beach. Absolutely disgraceful that Beach was let down by everyone that was supposed to have his back.

This x 1,000,000.

Everybody is rightfully coming down hard on the Blackhawks & the NHL but relatively little has been said about the part Fehr & the NHLPA played (or more accurately, did not play) in all of this. Their complicity and moral cowardice is every bit as great as that of the team and the league.

 

[BMC]

A day late and a dollar short. Guy is and always has been an asshole.

 

[BMC]

I think it'd be nice if this was true, but I think the real reason is that DeBrincat has no liability. He can speak from the heart because there's no downside. He has no reason to be loyal to the people involved in 2010. Every "apology" (if we want to call them that, though I wouldn't say that's an accurate description) looks like something a lawyer wrote in order to not accept personal responsibility and, thus, not get sued.

Because those apologies almost certainly were drawn up by a lawyer. There's no way a player agent is going to have his/her client wing something like that. They don't want that shit sticking to their meal ticket(s)

 

[BMC]

WhTs to debate. He should be done. Stupid league

If this hadn't been handled carefully the league & Panthers would almost certainly be looking at wrongful termination lawsuits. The idea, IMO, was to get Quenneville out quietly as well as quickly. You'll notice how silent he's been since he got the axe.

 

[Gee Wally]

 

[JCRO]

It’s time to move on from Bettman.

He, like the Blackhawks, continues to completely fumble **** this entire situation.

 

[inactive user]

 

[Gonzothe7thDman]

It’s time to move on from Bettman.

He, like the Blackhawks, continues to completely fumble **** this entire situation.

And we all know Chicago does a great job handling internal matters.

IMO all this does is give Chicago an easy "win" for some good PR that I hope everybody sees right through.

 

[sarge88]

Absolutely gut wrenching and heartbreaking to watch....but we all should, simply out of respect for what that poor boy and his family have endured.

If you have kids, there is no possible way you can watch that and not mentally envision the anguish that a conversation like that would bring on.

I'm not rich -- but getting that family the money to get all the services they need is a go fund me that I'd be happy support.

 

[Bruinaura]

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...........what??

 

[BMC]

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...........what??

Where's the f***ing vomit emoticom when you need it?

 

[Fenway]

Settlement talks between the Blackhawks and former player Kyle Beach are off to a rocky start.



Settlement talks between Blackhawks, Kyle Beach already hitting snags

Beach’s lawyer, Susan Loggans, said Thursday she’s “disgusted” by the Hawks’ lack of “fair play” with their recent handling of Beach’s lawsuit, the centerpiece of the sexual assault scandal that has rocked the Hawks and the hockey world this year.

Just two weeks ago, when the Jenner & Block investigation confirmed many of the atrocious details Beach alleged in the lawsuit about his 2010 sexual assault at the hands of ex-video coach Brad Aldrich, Hawks CEO Danny Wirtz instructed team lawyers to reach a “fair resolution” in the lawsuit, which had been battled ferociously throughout the summer in court.

And indeed, Hawks lawyers and Loggans held opening settlement talks Nov. 2, then follow-up talks Nov. 5.

But in letters sent by Hawks lawyers Thursday and obtained by the Sun-Times, the Hawks called Loggans’ initial financial settlement demand “extraordinary,” saying it now “seems clear to us that we will be unable to resolve these differences through lawyer-to-lawyer discussions alone” based on the two parties’ “very different views.”

The Hawks requested the two parties agree to use a third-party mediator to determine a settlement — their second time requesting mediation, having also done so in a letter preceding the Nov. 2 talks. The Hawks, in the letter, offered to pay for the mediation and to make Danny Wirtz and chairman Rocky Wirtz present at it.

Loggans, however, remains staunchly opposed to mediation.

Loggans said she provided her initial settlement demand at the Hawks’ request, but the Hawks refused to provide their own initial settlement offer in return.

She declined to disclose her initial settlement demand publicly, but said it included the estimated earnings Beach would’ve made over a typical NHL career had he not been allegedly assaulted as a 20-year-old prospect. The Hawks were also upset by that fact, Loggans said.
The two sides also appear divided over their commitment to immediate settlement.

 

[Fenway]

What now for the Blackhawks? Crain's Daily Gist podcast

 

[HustleB]

It’s time to move on from Bettman.

He, like the Blackhawks, continues to completely fumble **** this entire situation.

I could not agree more!

 

[Dr Hook]

I could not agree more!

Unfortunately, unless the owners feel a real threat to their profits, Bettman is going nowhere. They'll ride this out and see how it goes and if there is minimal disruption of league cash flow, he keeps his job. That's the moral compass these people are using.