I do my best to keep an open mind on things. I have had friends falsely accused of things (not anything like this, however!), and the truth came out long before charges, thankfully.
If I were a betting man, than at least these 5 are probably guilty, with 3 more players who are probably guilty but never charged (yet).
One thing that I can't ignore is the vision of Formenton opening the door, and 7 guys holding golf clubs enter the room, with a naked and vulnerable woman laying on the bed. Now, assuming this is true (which I imagine it to be at this point, but I guess we will see), and if Dube was one of these players, then I hope he rots in hell, really. That right there is enough for me to understand his motives and intentions - everyone's motives and intentions.
Maybe Dube was simply the guy coming for pizza, joined the room, left after 10 mins. That's easier to forgive, and if he has been the one cooperating with the investigators, and if it was his testimony that led to charges finally being laid, then he becomes easier to forgive.
I expect that there will be many different layers of guilt, of blame, and of actions. That's why I am keeping an open mind at least until the trail gets underway. I have no clue how guilty anyone is or isn't, and what are the details. It sounds like to me that there should be 3 others charged, and if they are a part of this, I hope that enough evidence will be released so that everyone gets convicted.
The one thing that makes me look at Dube in a much worse light and hedge my bets on him coming out of this as anything other than a rapist is the fact that there were 8 players in total, but they are only charging 5 (at this time at least). For me, that sounds like: "Enough evidence to charge 5 for sure, and the other 3 may not hold up in court."
As for the Flames, I don't blame them for handling things the way they did. They probably should - in hindsight - held back from publishing the original Dube statement. However, if Dube goes up to them and says: "Listen, I need time off since I am going crazy with stress and anxiety." What else would they do? For me, it depends on what Dube said - it was initiated by Dube, so did he say: "Hey, I am getting charged with rape, so what can we say about my absence?" Probably not. Flames probably knew what was going on with him, but you are still innocent until proven guilty.
We as the general public are more or less free to feel and say things that likely don't get us punished (to an extent - if Dube is found innocent, he can recoup a lot of money with what people are saying about him! lol), but a business doesn't have that luxury.
Remember Peters? How did the Flames legally get out of his contract? They negotiated a settlement. Peters still walked away with a portion (no idea how sizeable it was - 1/4? half? All of it? All of it and then some?). Flames didn't simply terminate him. What makes people assume that Dube can be terminated right now? There is still a chance that he is found innocent (whether he is 'really' innocent, or there just wasn't enough evidence to convict, or something lets him off). Flames would immediately open themselves to a potential lawsuit.
The trail won't happen until Dube's contract runs out. What I would like to see from the Flames is for them to simply not qualify him and not retain his rights (unlike Ottawa with Formenton). If he is acquitted of all charges, well, let him find a different place to play and have that organization deal with it. He is going to be a KHL star, by my guess, if he doesn't end up in jail.
That's the only legal thing (that I know of) that the Flames can do. This is an accusation followed up with formal charges. Unless there is a specific clause in his contract for charges regardless of outcome (i can't imagine there would be), then the organization has their hands tied and need to tread lightly between appeasing the general public as well as not giving Dube an avenue to turn around later and sue the Flames.
That's how I see things anyway. I am still not going to call these players 'guilty' until they are found guilty, but from where I stand, I assume that they are. I mind will be made up as court unfolds, and we hear or are privy to the evidence presented. Then I will really make my mind from "I think" to "I am confident", and then there is the outcome which I will either agree with or disagree with depending on how my mind processed the evidence. Sounds like it is going to be a long ways away.
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