Quote:
Originally Posted by PejaD
I think the over/under for number of the five to return to play in the NHL in any capacity is 1.5. Precedents such as Voynov/Virtanen in the NHL show that the league would still "blackball" the accused even if found not guilty.
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They were guilty of being slimy humans, IMHO. [Based on their own testimony, accounts, and facts presented during the trial] Being a crappy human isn't always a legal offense. No NHL team will want their brand associated with someone of such high moral fiber. The idea one of these frat minded thick necked jock dudes will get accosted by women or angry dads in the sport for what they indefensibly DID do/engage in/admit to under oath, leaves too much room for bitterness, confrontation, etc. None of them are of the highest skillset demanding their talent be put back on the ice, so there's also that (risk outweighs reward). They showed their true character. Their character is suspect, at best. Again, IMHO.
Fwiw, and not directly applicable to every aspect of this specific case, we live in a world where rape cases often end up being tossed out or the defendants let off. There's still an unhealthy amount of "she wore a short skirt = was asking for it" mentality out there. Elements of dehumanization and casting doubt are how defense teams get their clients verdicts in their favor. There was a lot of evidence just to get this to trial and for the NHL to take the steps it did to suspend these players, it was not a fictional case where an angry ex girlfriend made this up.