I will say that often with a kid showing that behaviour that they are often victims themselves, even at the age of 14. So I have empathy for the home conditions that led him to developing into the monster that he was, however, absolutely does not justify the behaviour.
I would be very open to the idea of giving a second chance towards someone like that if they were able to apologize, show remorse, and start making real efforts to bettering those around them in their community, and taking real accountability for their actions and prevent others from following the same path.
That does not sound at all like what is happening here. If there is no true remorse, it shouldn't be up to an NHL team to "show him the way" and invest resources and time in him. That is taking away the opportunity from someone far more deserving of the investment, and not as a direct result of overlooking shortcomings because of hockey talent.
Looking forward to gathering more information here, but based on the current evidence that we have, I don't find the Coyotes' use of the draft choice justifiable, and their statement justifying this decision is quite lacking for me. It's absolutely not their job to fix someone. It is their job to promote equality internally and externally and they can do that without acting as a half way house for troubled kids.
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