Last year Semyon Varlamov was accused of domestic violence. The charges were ultimately dropped. While he was charged, he continued to play for the Avalanche.
Adrian Peterson is currently only charged with child abuse, yet he cannot play for the Vikings. Peterson has not been convicted of any offence, but he is suspended with pay.
If an NHL player today were accused of domestic violence, I think that the current media climate would require an immediate suspension until the case was resolved, instead of the usual play-until-postseason-court-case arrangement. I think, in the long run, a policy of 'suspend from play until convicted/acquitted' will benefit society and the focus paid to domestic violence and child abuse, but I bet it's going to result in some serious lawsuits.
|