NHL's Hard Line with Slava Voynov Remains Justified as Horrible Details Emerge
While the NHL has been largely praised for the firm stance it has taken on Los Angeles Kings defenceman Slava Voynov, there have been dissenters. Foremost among them has been the team itself, which has given lip service to supporting the suspension but had no problem with letting Voynov practice and associate with the team:
Just got on the ice early - DL thought it would be good for Voynov to be around teammates for the day
- lisa dillman (@reallisa) December 2, 2014
The Kings were promptly fine $100,000 by the league for that decision, which set off a round of 'so much for innocent until proven guilty' in the comments section here. But while some Los Angeles fans may be grousing about the unfairness of it all, those muttered complaints are nothing compared to the outcry the league would be facing today if it had turned a blind eye to the charges against Voynov.
Voynov's preliminary hearing took place on Monday, and the prosecution got to lay out its case against the Kings' defenceman. While the trial and verdict are still a long ways off, the details revealed by the state were shocking. The Los Angeles Times' Nathan Fenno covered the hearing and provided details on Twitter, including graphic descriptions of the alleged violence:
Redondo Beach police officer: Voynov's wife had laceration over left eye, blood streaming, red marks on neck.
- Nathan Fenno (@nathanfenno) December 15, 2014
Officer says Voynov's wife said he struck her in the face with his fist. #Kings #NHL
- Nathan Fenno (@nathanfenno) December 15, 2014
Officer: Voynov pushed wife to ground multiple times, kicked her repeatedly while on ground, chocked her three times.
- Nathan Fenno (@nathanfenno) December 15, 2014
Officer: Voynov pushed her into flat-screen TV where she cut her face.
- Nathan Fenno (@nathanfenno) December 15, 2014
I can only catch quick glimpses of photos of the injuries to Voynov's wife. Lots of blood.
- Nathan Fenno (@nathanfenno) December 15, 2014
In court, the lead prosecutor, Frank Dunnick, said 'there's evidence to suggest prior domestic violence' involving Voynov. #Kings #NHL
- Nathan Fenno (@nathanfenno) December 15, 2014
It's unclear how much of today's evidence was known to the league when it made the decision to suspend Voynov. It's also unclear how much of the evidence was known to the Kings organization when they decided it would be good for Voynov to hang out with the team for a day. What should be abundantly clear, however, is that the NHL was in no position to wait out a verdict before opting to suspend Voynov.
The important thing to remember here is that the bar for suspension is not the same as the bar for finding Voynov guilty in a court of law.
Ethically, the league has a higher obligation to society than that. Imagine if Voynov had played against the Maple Leafs on Sunday or was preparing to play against the Blues tomorrow; what message would that send regarding the league's view of violence against women? It would have said that the league didn't much care what happened off the ice, that as long as a man can play hockey there would be no professional repercussions for misbehavior in his private life.
That would have been unacceptable. The NHL was in a position to send a statement that it would not tolerate domestic violence; it's a statement that society desperately needs from people and organizations in positions of authority.
Pragmatically, it was also the only sensible road forward for the NHL, which relies on a satisfied public to watch its games and support its advertisers. Any suggestion that the league tolerated the kind of behavior alleged in court on Monday would have had a serious impact on the league's public image, just as the NFL's mishandling of Ray Rice has reflected badly on that league and its sponsors.
It can't be okay for any professional athlete to go on playing his sport as if nothing had happened even as a policeman stands in court and claims that same athlete pushed his wife to the ground and kicked and choked her repeatedly. It can't be okay for a league or a team to maintain the status quo even as a prosecutor alleges that this incident may be only the latest in a pattern of domestic violence. The allegations are simply too serious to ignore, the subject matter too serious to paper over until such time as the charges are proved beyond a shadow of a doubt.
The NHL took a firm stance, and that hard line looks increasingly justified by the day.
Jonathan Willis covers the NHL for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter for more of his work.
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