The Players' Tribune - Patrick O'Sullivan

[Cole436]

Originally Posted by T@T

This is the 3rd or 4th time I read about O'Sullivan's abuse from his father, newsflash, there are thousands of others with the same or worst fate that didn't make a few million $$$ playing a game that were abused as well. Yeah, tough story but enough already, there's far worst and we don't know their names.

What an absolutely garbage response. Those kids who get abused but don't make it to the NHL? They don't get to tell their story and help other children on this wide of a scale.

Christ almighty, I can't believe anyone can be this stupid.

[DJones]

I think the last four responses summed up everyones thoughts. Moving on.

Story makes me feel like a dick for thinking my dad was tough for saying no coke and yelling get back on defense constantly.

[habernac]

Infuriating. You have to wonder what he did to his Mom as well. I knew a kid like this back home. He quit as soon as he was an adult. He was by far the best player on the ice and he'd get a beating when he got home because "he should have been better".

True story: I played with Drew Doughty his rookie year in Los Angeles. He came into camp and he could barely do one rep on the bench press. He’ll laugh about it now. He was not in shape at all, at least in the way these “Old Time Hockey” blowhards talk about it. Then we’d go out for practice and he’d be the best player on the ice. Doughty was just a pure, natural hockey player with incredible vision and a brain for the game.

Being a physical specimen is ok but there's no substitute for just knowing the game. I bet Gretzky's bench press was about 50 pounds.

[Lanny'sDaMan]

Originally Posted by T@T

This is the 3rd or 4th time I read about O'Sullivan's abuse from his father, newsflash, there are thousands of others with the same or worst fate that didn't make a few million $$$ playing a game that were abused as well. Yeah, tough story but enough already, there's far worst and we don't know their names.

Man, this is the worst thing I've read on this site and I read that entire Patrick Kane thread. Garbage. You should be ashamed of yourself. I have a very intimate knowledge of what O'Sullivan suffered through. I am here to tell you that you have clearly no idea how hard it must have been for him to recall all of that in the first place, and to even begin to tell someone else in such detail about it makes one relive it like it's happening again. And he should continue to tell his story as loud and long as he can. So many 'parents' abuse their kids beyond even the horrors detailed here and get away with it because of the "Not my kid" mentality. Maybe if he gets enough people to hear his story more parents will look over at that poor kid in the next stall and put forth a helping hand.

Unless you've been there and know the pain, the fear, that dropping sensation in your gut because you HAVE to go home with that person and KNOW that you are going to be physically destroyed at the whim of a human who is supposed to be your protector, AND THINKING THAT'S JUST HOW IT IS, maybe you should just shut your trap.

Yes I'm angry. You hit my one raw nerve. 40 years old and I still to this day deal with the fallout of my extremely abusive childhood.

[PeteMoss]

Well its sad - I also think that working out and all of that matters. Yes there are the guys like Heatley/Kessel/Doughty who can be out of shape and still be the best players on the ice but they are exception rather than the rule.

I also think in a lot of cases - the kids themselves are wanting to do the workouts and have the trainers the pro players have - rather than the parents forcing them into it. There's the odd exception - but most parents would rather pay for a $50/month gym membership instead of thousands on some trainer.

You need to be careful not to paint the exceptions like this as the rule of most hockey parents.

[habernac]

Originally Posted by Cole436

What an absolutely garbage response. Those kids who get abused but don't make it to the NHL? They don't get to tell their story and help other children on this wide of a scale.

Chris almighty I can't believe anyone can be this stupid.

Read some of his other posts, you'll be a believer in no time.

[Chingas]

Originally Posted by T@T

Garbage post

Is there a "w" missing from your username?

[ben voyonsdonc]

Originally Posted by T@T

This is the 3rd or 4th time I read about O'Sullivan's abuse from his father, newsflash, there are thousands of others with the same or worst fate that didn't make a few million $$$ playing a game that were abused as well. Yeah, tough story but enough already, there's far worst and we don't know their names.

And Sheldon Kennedy. He should shut up about that whole sexual abuse thing too, eh?

O'Sullivan is speaking up to bring awareness to the problem. He is speaking up so other kids who are going through similar situations know that they aren't alone and so that parents are more vigilant of other parents' behaviour with their children so that they step in rather than plead ignorance.

Good grief man. You really can't be this obtuse. Can you?

[sun]

Originally Posted by T@T

This is the 3rd or 4th time I read about O'Sullivan's abuse from his father, newsflash, there are thousands of others with the same or worst fate that didn't make a few million $$$ playing a game that were abused as well. Yeah, tough story but enough already, there's far worst and we don't know their names.

Are we only supposed to care about, to read about, the "worst" of anything? What a strange reaction. I don't have to sift through CP to find all the stupidest posts on the entire site in order to call you stupid. Or maybe yours is the stupidest post on the entire site (certainly likely). Are we not allowed to make fun of any other stupid posts anymore, because yours is stupidest? "Yeah, that other post was stupid, but we can't make fun of him, T@T's post was far worse". Terrible logic, but par for the course, I suppose.

Just because someone else was abused and didn't make millions, it doesn't make O'Sullivan's story any less brutal. He's still a human ####ing being. Furthermore, he's writing this story FOR the very people you're talking about. He has an audience, should he remain silent? Or should he NOT do his part to help those nameless ones with "far worst" stories?

Missing W, indeed.

[codynw]

Can we please stop quoting that garbage?

[Cleveland Steam Whistle]

Originally Posted by T@T

This is the 3rd or 4th time I read about O'Sullivan's abuse from his father, newsflash, there are thousands of others with the same or worst fate that didn't make a few million $$$ playing a game that were abused as well. Yeah, tough story but enough already, there's far worst and we don't know their names.

WTF is your point? He made some money so he should stop spreading awareness around his situation and this issue, that as you point out impacts others with less of a public profile as well?

Please correct me if I've miss represented your point, I'm assuming I must be because I can't imagine your point could possibly be that stupid.

[Inglewood Jack]

I hate that after I read the article, I went into this thread dreading that one idiotic response that was bound to be there. and sigh it happened...all because the ignore list doesn't block quotes. now I'm in a bad mood.

I hope O'Sullivan's story gets the ball rolling on more high profile players coming out with their own experiences, because you just know this is the tip of a massive, under-reported iceberg.

[undercoverbrother]

The worst about T@T's post is how he cowardly isn't coming in to defend it.


What Garbage.

[Lanny'sDaMan]

Originally Posted by undercoverbrother

The worst about T@T's post is how he cowardly isn't coming in to defend it.


What Garbage.

Well let's be honest here, it really is indefensible. What he should do is come in here and apologize, but we all know that never happens on the internet.

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by Lanny'sDaMan

Well let's be honest here, it really is indefensible. What he should do is come in here and apologize, but we all know that never happens on the internet.

Yeah fair enough.

I wonder if I should add it to my signature....?

[Hackey]

Originally Posted by T@T

This is the 3rd or 4th time I read about O'Sullivan's abuse from his father, newsflash, there are thousands of others with the same or worst fate that didn't make a few million $$$ playing a game that were abused as well. Yeah, tough story but enough already, there's far worst and we don't know their names.

Between this and some of your posts in off topic I gotta shake my head at the way you view the world.

[Sylvanfan]

Well ignoring the one awful reply in this thread...

I have to admit that I didn't know that the abuse was to this level. As a parent of young children, it's really hard for me to get my head around this. I can't imagine living in a house where this is happening regularly and kept quiet.

I hope this does open some eyes. My hope would be that the abuse like this is a lot less prevalent than it was when O'Sullivan was growing up. But one case of it is still too many. The more that this gets heard and out there though, the easier it is for the next victim to come forth earlier on, and ultimately get us to a place where any of this is entirely prevented.

In terms of O'Sullivan's career he was seemingly doing quite well in L.A, but once he was traded to Edmonton that was pretty much the end for him. I seem to recall Ice saying that O'Sullivan really liked LA. At this point it's entirely speculation and baseless at that, but I wonder if being in a place like LA which was far away from home and where players could get away from the scrutiny ultimately gave him a feeling of freedom which allowed him to really enjoy the game. Whereas going back to a hockey market after may have brought back some of those sinking feelings again. It's amazing he managed to stick it through as much as he did.

[flamesrule14]

What a great read. Truly disgusting that something like that could even happen and for so long. Good on him for the courage to spread his message and his situation. Certainly couldn't be easy for him to talk about. Hopefully this brings awareness and something like this just won't happen anymore.

[Mony]

"TW@T" should just log off permanently. What a disgusting post.

Feel horrible for O'Sullivan but he has brought awareness to a huge, largely unseen issue. Good for him for surviving.

[Lanny'sDaMan]

Originally Posted by Mony

Feel horrible for O'Sullivan but he has brought awareness to a huge, largely unseen issue. Good for him for surviving.

Not meaning to pick on you, but the bolded part really picks my ass.

This is not an "unseen" issue, it's an ignored one, for a couple reasons.

First off, like I said in an earlier post, the "Not My Kid" mentality. The thoughts that well I can't say anything cause maybe the kid deserved the slap you saw. Of course if you see a slap, odds are the abusive parent is restrained and I'll leave it to you to imagine just how bad it can get when other's eyes aren't around. Another part of this mentality is "well if it was bad the kid would say something." which brings me to point two

Of course the kid is NOT going to say anything. Sure fear of repercussion is a factor, but in reality these kids don't know any better. Listen, when I was being beaten to unconciousness, being thrown down stairs, kicked in the kidneys I didn't hate my father for it. I blamed myself. I thought ALL parents did this to their kids if they were bad, slow to respond to an order, or even the tiniest bit cheeky. I honestly believed that every kid in the world knew what this form of 'punishment' felt like. I truly thought that everyone was getting this level of abuse and that it was normal. No one in my life outside of my nuclear family even had a clue how bad it was, and I never once as a kid said anything. Why would I? This is just what being a kid is, I thought.

It's not unseen, we just need to enable people to step up and more importantly give these kids a voice so they know this is wrong, and so they can scream out for help. God KNOWS I wish there had been some way for me to know.