[News] Kings terminate Richards contract. UPD: Kings and Richards reach settlement

[transplant99]

I wonder if Richards was trying to bring firearms back into Canada or something along those lines, and there is a grey area whether or not he was allowed to.

If it was drugs he simply would have been arrested and charged....that's a black and white situation.

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by Weitz

I have 2 friends with DUI's who were honest and were not allowed through.

From what I know you don't get ran through the system every time. You can go years before you get ran through the system.

Case and point: A friend of mine went through for 10 years with no issues. Suddenly they ran him and he got flagged and couldn't go through until he got a pardon. Got his pardon and is now in the clear.

Well it has never been an issue for me but the bottom line is that this is hardly something that would be an obstacle for a professional athlete or celebrity crossing borders.

[Thor]

Dead hookers in the trunk, with bags of cocaine and machine guns is my guess.

[CorsiHockeyLeague]

If it's a grey area like that then he's not in a position where they could terminate his SPA.

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by transplant99

I wonder if Richards was trying to bring firearms back into Canada or something along those lines, and there is a grey area whether or not he was allowed to.

If it was drugs he simply would have been arrested and charged....that's a black and white situation.

Good point but if it's grey area for the law how would this hold up for grounds of termination? Obviously we are all reaching here but it still feels like the Kings are making a last ditch effort to get out of this contract.

[codynw]

I heard Mike Richards is a huge fan of "St. Anger" and considers it the best Metallica album.

[Ashasx]

Originally Posted by sureLoss

ESPN reporting Richards is under investigation by the RCMP and Border services is also involved

http://espn.go.com/los-angeles/nhl/s...ichards-source

Under investigation? So no charges laid?

Still doesn't make sense.

[transplant99]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

Good point but if it's grey area for the law how would this hold up for grounds of termination? Obviously we are all reaching here but it still feels like the Kings are making a last ditch effort to get out of this contract.

Who knows.

There is a morality clause in the SPC as well which is so ambiguous when you read it, it almost has no business being in there. Who decides what is moral and what isn't type of thing. Wasn't it a Supreme Court Justice that said something like "i cant give you a definition of pornography, but I know it when I see it".

I do wonder if that's where we are with this thing as far as definition of "illegal" or "immoral". Obviously this thing will be played out in courts/lawsuits etc, not in the media or any other place where a definitive conclusion would occur quickly.

[Slava]

Originally Posted by CorsiHockeyLeague

Any number of legal reasons. Jesus, do you guys seriously think something that cost him $15M and involves border security has his agents and lawyers telling him, "It's important that the general public think you're innocent even though it has literally no bearing on the outcome of your situation?"

Its not only the general public though. Free agency begins tomorrow and he might want a job in his profession. Would you hire him based on what you have seen so far, because I doubt many GMs would. If he had a good idea that he was innocent though and put that out there it might go a long way toward helping him repair his image.

You might think that is irrelevant and care more about his corsi or whatever, but for professional athletes its kind of a big deal.

[DionTheDman]

Originally Posted by bob-loblaw

Too much catching and not enough releasing?

Charged with polygamy?

[PeteMoss]

Its obviously a hail mary attempt by the Kings to get out from the contract to avoid the buyout penalties. My main question would be if the Kings spend that money they've saved and then this gets overturned what happens then? The PA won't be happy about a guy losing his contract he signs on July 1 if they just void the contracts that put them over the cap.

[Benched]

All I know is if the LA Kings went out to find info on Richards to get out of that contract....D. Brown better be living the clean life. The way his game is right now and the size and term of that contract....

[Weitz]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

Well it has never been an issue for me but the bottom line is that this is hardly something that would be an obstacle for a professional athlete or celebrity crossing borders.

I will definitely agree with that.

Originally Posted by codynw

I heard Mike Richards is a huge fan of "St. Anger" and considers it the best Metallica album.

Well, then he certainly deserves his fate.

[Thor]

I wouldn't say anything is "obvious." Suspicious for sure, but there might just be something to this and I'm not coming to any conclusions either way until we hear more.

[Yamer]

Originally Posted by PeteMoss

Its obviously a hail mary attempt by the Kings to get out from the contract to avoid the buyout penalties. My main question would be if the Kings spend that money they've saved and then this gets overturned what happens then? The PA won't be happy about a guy losing his contract he signs on July 1 if they just void the contracts that put them over the cap.

I would guess they may be liable to some cap penalties and roster restrictions. Not sure if violating the cap plays into revenue sharing streams or not.

Of course, if the NHL agrees that LA had valid grounds for termination they may soften the blowback.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by PeteMoss

Its obviously a hail mary attempt by the Kings to get out from the contract to avoid the buyout penalties. My main question would be if the Kings spend that money they've saved and then this gets overturned what happens then? The PA won't be happy about a guy losing his contract he signs on July 1 if they just void the contracts that put them over the cap.

I cant see this being a 'Hail Mary' by the Kings. Theres just no way that makes sense.

Lawyers dont tend to throw 'Hail Mary' passes because everything Lawyers do has consequences.

"Hey lets just try throwing this crap at the wall and hopefully the lawyers representing him are so stupid they'll just take our word for it and we'll win!!"

It doesnt typically work like that. They must think they've got a serious case because they know what the alternative is. It isnt just; 'well that didnt work, I guess we buy him out' and then everything else is forgotten.

Theres a lot of time, money and consequences, both personal and professional, on the line here. For everyone.

[Resolute 14]

Originally Posted by Fighting Banana Slug

While I agree that a DUI/barred entry from the US might be plausible, I think there have been a fair number of cases of that happening, without contract termination. Fairly certain Bob Probert had border issues, not sure with MacTavish, but one would think.
Lombardi doesn't seem like a guy that would dump Richards though, unless it really was bad. He stuck with him, even when they had a chance to use a compliance buy-out.

MacTavish evidently did not, as his career resumed without issue after he served his jail sentence. Probert ordered deported to Canada after serving his sentence, but while he fought that order, he could not cross the border as the US would likely have viewed it as voluntary deportation and never allowed him back into the country. For a guy who played 80% of his games in the US, that would have obviously been the end of his hockey career.

[CorsiHockeyLeague]

Originally Posted by Locke

I cant see this being a 'Hail Mary' by the Kings. Theres just no way that makes sense.

Lawyers dont tend to throw 'Hail Mary' passes because everything Lawyers do has consequences.

Hahaha this is sooooo not the case. Lawyers definitely throw hail mary passes when their clients want to. "Sure, whatever, file the statement of claim. Maybe we'll get a settlement out of it; if they fight us we can just discontinue."

[puffnstuff]

I will add my guess to the pile. He arrived at the border driving drunk. Perhaps a little bit of Ed Belfour happened 'do you know who i am, i make billions!'. That would get you an immediate crossing ban...and explain the investigation re a DUI is coming too. And maybe an undeclared firearm too.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by CorsiHockeyLeague

Hahaha this is sooooo not the case. Lawyers definitely throw hail mary passes when their clients want to. "Sure, whatever, file the statement of claim. Maybe we'll get a settlement out of it; if they fight us we can just discontinue."

Not when its going to be public. That makes them look like idiots.