Lacking Justice for Professional Athletes

It has recently been stated that a full 68% of Canadians feel that violence in professional sports is becoming an unnecessary aspect of this form of entertainment. Professional sports executives and law enforcement officials also fail to remedy the situation by handing down a verbal ‘slap-on-the-wrist’ when a dangerous event occurs during a game. The argument taken up here is that hockey players receive preferential treatment when punishments are handed down in a sports environment, whereas the proper course of action is for league executives and members of law enforcement to enforce strict punishments when wrongful acts are committed in careless, isolated incidents on the playing surface, bench-clearing brawls that create a mob mentality and endanger the audience, and premeditated attacks on opposing players with the intent to injure.

Throughout professional sports, hockey seems to have a higher frequency of violent events that call for the scrutiny of law enforcement authorities. Even though objectionable incidents are by no means always present in the game, there is plenty of careless play by individuals on the rink which can be construed to create the shock value upon which the media thrives. The first notable careless incident to support this idea revolves around a local NHL tough guy named Chris Simon. Throughout his career, Chris Simon has not been shy from fighting, nor has he been a stranger to the penalty box. In this case, Simon was hit from behind into the boards by Ryan Hollweg, which knocked both players to the ice. Simon was first to his feet and, in turn, swung his hockey stick with a two-handed motion at Hollweg’s face. The stick connected with Hollweg’s chin and required several stitches to close. The punishment for Simon’s act was a suspension totalling 25 games (which included the playoffs) without pay. (Sportsnet, n.d.) No charges were filed for the action from any outside law enforcement authorities. Many people considered the suspension to be very harsh considering Hollweg had only a minor cut on his chin, but due to Simon’s previous suspensions, the decision was deemed necessary. At the time, this decision marked the longest suspension for an on-ice incident in the history of the NHL.

As previously alluded to, Chris Simon is no stranger to infractions and their consequences, and he has set the record for the longest suspension in National Hockey League history twice, both in the same season. The first record, as mentioned above, was for slashing the opposing player in the face. The second incident occurred on December 15, 2007, when Simon stomped his skate onto a fallen player’s leg. The opposing player, Jarkko Ruutu, had fallen to the ice in front of the players’ bench, which was where Simon was at the time. Simon appeared to look at the fallen Ruutu and stomped his skate onto the fallen player’s leg. Though there was no apparent injury in this incident, the NHL was watching. With this act Simon received an even longer suspension for an on-ice incident (30 games without pay), breaking his previous record of 25 games after being reinstated into the league 2 months prior to this point. He forfeited almost $300,000 in salary, but again, charges were not filed for the actions of this dangerous (professional) athlete.

The most recent incident that has occurred in the world of professional hockey was during an Ontario Hockey League in a game between the Erie Otters and the London Knights. An Erie player, Michael Liambas, hit a London defenseman, Ben Fanelli, into the boards as Fanelli was turning to pass the puck. From the hit, Fanelli was knocked unconscious and sent to hospital with skull and facial fractures. Though the consequences of this hit were felt physically by Fanelli, there were also repercussions for Liambas, who was suspended for the duration of the season by OHL commissioner, David Branch. Though most hockey experts feel that the suspension was extremely harsh, the sports media and hockey fans around the world begin to feel sympathy for Liambas. Though some people will argue that this punishment is deserved, the executives who make the decisions are public figures and are being paid to make an example out of offenders for society, thus, they should take their responsibility seriously and refrain from being counter-productive toward justice by causing more harm than good. it sends a message to avoid headshot incidents in further hockey games. Once again, although this situation is slightly different, due to the fact that Fanelli has life threatening injuries, criminal charges have not been filed at this point in time.

A further phenomenon of sport is the bench-clearing brawls which have erupted on occasion, even in the professional sports world. These have showed that, though they remain rare incidents and partly because they are so rare, they are some of the most shocking moments in sports today. In hockey, it is an immediate violation of the rules to intervene in a fight when you are on the players bench. The Detroit Red Wings and the Colorado Avalanche had a series of games in 1997 that nearly erupted in a full-scale, on-ice riot. A Detroit player was hit from behind into the boards, causing many facial fractures. This infuriated the Red Wings team as each of the players on the ice began to fight with each opposing player on the Avalanche. Even the goaltenders brawled in this fight, setting the stage for the next meeting between the two teams. The only repercussions from this event, was a two game suspension the Avalanche player responsible for the hit, Claude Lemieux.

To accompany the previously stated point, premeditated attacks on opposing players have been on the rise in professional sports, but namely, the National Hockey League. As mentioned in the previous paragraph, Claude Lemieux was given a two game suspension for his hit from behind on Detroit forward Chris Draper. Draper required reconstructive surgery and months of rehabilitation before returning to the NHL, while Lemieux served his two-game suspension and continued playing hockey. Experts have stated that Lemieux had enough time to avoid the contact from behind, but hit him into the boards regardless. This act of premeditation should have resulted in a stiff suspension to make an example of the offender and to warn other players that actions will not go without consequences, much like what happened with Chris Simon mentioned above.

Another event that turned a star player into a categorically dirty player occurred in 2004, when Vancouver Canucks forward Todd Bertuzzi sucker punched Avalanche forward (and rookie) Steve Moore from behind. The punch knocked Moore unconscious and the momentum knocked both players to the ice, with Bertuzzi falling to the ice on top of Moore. Moore received three broken vertebrae in his neck, and a concussion. Jesse Michael, a columnist from openicehockey.com, expressed his feelings on this incident with this quote:

“Even though Bertuzzi was suspended for the remainder of the season, and the following year, I justifiably believe he only got a slap on the wrist from the NHL.  Moore was in hospital for six months after the incident, wore a neck brace for an entire year after that, and still has concussion-like symptoms to this day.  Bertuzzi was allowed back at the beginning of the 2005-06 regular season. He only served 20 games in total.  There is still no timetable for a recovery for Moore, and Bertuzzi has been making a living in the NHL ever since.  It’s a sad, sad story.”

Although Moore has filed numerous charges against Bertuzzi, he was only convicted of assault causing bodily harm in this incident. Seeing as though Moore could never play hockey again, this seems like a fair judgment as Bertuzzi has not been the same player since this incident. He felt remorseful of his actions directly after the game and now has to live with the stigma of being labelled a dirty player. Bertuzzi’s reputation has been soiled and his career will never be the same as some teams are hesitant to sign an assumed liability to their club.

Though most of these incidents take place in the NHL, these are the most media related events due to their severity. Marty McSorley, another notable tough guy from the NHL, took distain for an opposing player, Donald Brashear, and swung his stick at Brashear’s head. The stick connected, knocking Brashear unconscious and to the ice. McSorley was charged with assault with a weapon, but was not sent to jail. McSorley, upon completing an 18-month probation period, will have the charge erased from his permanent record. This goes to show that NHL executives and law enforcement officials are lenient when professional stars are involved with the law. Since this incident, McSorley has retired from the NHL and his career did not recover to what it once was, thus proving that people who shine in the public spotlight can be more easily damaged and criticized for their actions, which result in constant scrutiny of their livelihood.

To reiterate and conclude, the sheer number of incidents resulting in serious injuries is on the rise in professional sports. As professional athletes continue to make millions of dollars each season, there are many players that act out and cause bodily harm to their fellow competitors. League executives and outside law enforcement sources need to take into consideration the fact that these players are being paid more because they are public figures for society to look up to and should be held to a higher standard of responsibility. Professional athletes are breaching contracts, conduct, and laws when they act violent and irresponsibly and should be punished with more weight held to their actions. By doing so, careless incidents, bench-clearing brawls, and premeditated attacks on opposite team members should decline in professional sports, and the future of these entertainment resources (children) will not be reciprocating the actions of their current heroes.

From the Badger’s Den, I’m Eric Badger