Patrick Kane - Possible rape charge

[digdug]

http://thehockeywriters.com/patrick-kane-part-of-rape-investigation/


Wow

 

[bustaheims]

It is important to note that Kane is not currently facing any charges. He may just be viewed as someone with knowledge of an incident as opposed to someone directly involved. It?s key to avoid any judgement until more details are known.

He's a person of interest in a rape investigation. That can mean a lot of things.

 

[CarltonTheBear]

He's a person of interest in a rape investigation. That can mean a lot of things.

According to The Buffalo News he's a target of a rape investigation and that a woman has accused him of sexual assault: http://www.buffalonews.com/sports/sources-kane-target-of-rape-investigation-20150806

 

[bustaheims]

He's a person of interest in a rape investigation. That can mean a lot of things.

According to The Buffalo News he's a target of a rape investigation and that a woman has accused him of sexual assault: http://www.buffalonews.com/sports/sources-kane-target-of-rape-investigation-20150806

That may very well end up being what happens, but until charges are laid, we just don't know. It's possible their sources aren't accurate.

 

[CarltonTheBear]

That may very well end up being what happens, but until charges are laid, we just don't know. It's possible their sources aren't accurate.

Meh, Kane's not exactly getting my benefit of the doubt here considering his history. The allegation claim was double-sourced. You're right that he hasn't been found guilty or even charged with anything yet but there's no reason to assume that the allegation is fabricated at this point either.

 

[GhostofPotvin29]

That may very well end up being what happens, but until charges are laid, we just don't know. It's possible their sources aren't accurate.

Meh, Kane's not exactly getting my benefit of the doubt here considering his history. The allegation claim was double-sourced. You're right that he hasn't been found guilty or even charged with anything yet but there's no reason to assume that the allegation is fabricated at this point either.

No reason to assume anything either way.

 

[Kin]

I guess suggestions of a largely responsible press tend to not go over well in Toronto, especially when Hockey is concerned, but this strikes me as the kind of thing that an old-school news organization wouldn't report unless they had it pretty tight.

 

[bustaheims]

Meh, Kane's not exactly getting my benefit of the doubt here considering his history. The allegation claim was double-sourced. You're right that he hasn't been found guilty or even charged with anything yet but there's no reason to assume that the allegation is fabricated at this point either.

I'm not suggesting it's fabricated. I'm just saying all we know for sure is that the police at interested in Kane as part of an investigation. That's the extent of the facts we know for sure at the moment. All I'm really saying is let's not crucify Kane until some sort of charges are officially laid against him.

 

[bustaheims]

I guess suggestions of a largely responsible press tend to not go over well in Toronto, especially when Hockey is concerned, but this strikes me as the kind of thing that an old-school news organization wouldn't report unless they had it pretty tight.

I have a few friends in Buffalo, and they don't seem to consider the Buffalo News to be the best source of hard and true facts. They seem to see them as "FIRST" style 'journalists.'

 

[Kin]

I have a few friends in Buffalo, and they don't seem to consider the Buffalo News to be the best source of hard and true facts. They seem to see them as "FIRST" style 'journalists.'

And I would guess that you'd be able to find people who'd more or less say the same thing about just about any news source. But even if this were coming from a news organization I have zero respect for like the Sun, I still think the nature of what's being reported here would fall close enough into dicey legal territory that editorial wouldn't let it through if it weren't pretty solid.

If what they're saying is true then Kane still deserves the presumption of innocence absent any other knowledge but I don't know we're obligated to doubt the report about what's being investigated.

 

[CarltonTheBear]

I'm not suggesting it's fabricated. I'm just saying all we know for sure is that the police at interested in Kane as part of an investigation. That's the extent of the facts we know for sure at the moment. All I'm really saying is let's not crucify Kane until some sort of charges are officially laid against him.

Well we also know that two sources have confirmed that an allegation of rape has been made against Kane, and that's the crux of this investigation. I just don't get why that's thrown out of the facts pile just because it hasn't come from the police yet. There's plenty of reasons why they can't officially disclose that information at this time. Why is there a giant cloud of doubt over this piece of information when virtually all news happens this way?

 

[GhostofPotvin29]

Why is there a giant cloud of doubt over this piece of information when virtually all news happens this way?

Maybe the seriousness and potential ramifications?  Though I can't speak for busta.

EDIT:

http://twitter.com/ByTimGraham/status/629311801130373120

http://twitter.com/ByTimGraham/status/629322984990330880

http://twitter.com/ByTimGraham/status/629323268395270145

 

[Heroic Shrimp]

Please let his day with the Cup be in jail.

 

[bustaheims]

Why is there a giant cloud of doubt over this piece of information when virtually all news happens this way?

Maybe the seriousness and potential ramifications?  Though I can't speak for busta.

That's a big part of it. Accusations of major criminal acts like this can really hammer someone's reputation, deservedly or not. In situations where we really don't know anything and have no real connection to the case, I just think it's prudent to wait until at least charges are officially filed before we start to hold it against him.

 

[moon111]

Throw some money at this and make it go away.

 

[Bullfrog]

Or in the case of an actual offense, get justice for the victim.

Either or I suppose.

 

[WhatIfGodWasALeaf]

Yeah it's a strange one, if he did and they can prove it, throw the book at him for sure.

I think you have to be careful though, he wouldn't be the first sports star to be falsely accused of this kind of thing.

People jumping to conclusions without knowing the whole story seems a little silly.

 

[Heroic Shrimp]

While I wouldn't be surprised if there's legitimacy to the speculation, I also wouldn't be entirely surprised if there could be false accusations.

If a young rich guy is accused of, say, assault, I'd be relatively comfortable at the very least in assuming he got into a physical confrontation one way or another, whether's he's ultimately guilty of anything or not.  If a young rich guy is accused of sexual assault, I'm not very comfortable in assuming much of anything about him or the situation.

 

[CarltonTheBear]

This is largely directed at Chicago sports fans and I don't entirely believe it represents anybody posting here, but I still feel that this is very much worth reading:

Baffoe: Patrick Kane Is Not Your Friend

You don?t know him on a meaningful level. Maybe he signed your kid?s hat that one time. Maybe you took a picture with him at a golf outing a few years ago.
But Patrick Kane is not your friend. You are not his dawg, and he is not your bro. For all intents and purposes he doesn?t care about you no matter how many times you?ve swooned at him saying something about ?not being able to accomplish this without you great fans.?

And you need to stop with the garbage default setting of rushing to defend him. Even under the guise of ?innocent until proven guilty.?

History tells us that a story like this sexual assault allegation against Kane does not end well for anyone involved. It also suggests that should an outcome conclude in favor of Kane, the rape culture we live in and unbalanced system of law enforcement and judicial process in sexual assault cases does not mean he did nothing wrong.

I want you to realize that right now and acknowledge it and give it the credence it deserves. A lack of charge, prosecution, or guilty verdict over sexual assault does not mean sexual assault did not occur. It?s entirely possible no wrongdoing on Kane?s part went on, but innocent until proven guilty applies to this particular celebrity avoiding jail time. It does not exonerate him from what he and his accuser know happened between them. It does not help his frat boy reputation, which isn?t illegal but damn sure isn?t palatable once is crosses the line between drunk video cult hero and this kind of accusation. And it does not make his words at the most recent Blackhawks rally any less prophetic.

Our selfish fan culture causes us to reflexively think ?Whoa, I hope Kaner comes out okay from whatever this is (and doesn?t miss any playing time for the Hawks).? That reaction, of course, fails to consider the other mentioned person supposedly involved?the unnamed woman.

...

The reflex of ?Leave Kaner alone?you?re ruining his reputation!? or anything remotely putting the onus on the woman involved shows you?ve let sports fandom strip you of your humanity. Your ethics have grown so out of whack while drunk on being a fangirl or fanboy that you?ve drowned your soul. You value sports over violation of the human body, and you then become no different than, say, a defender of Joe Paterno. If Patrick Kane were not famous and a name on the local news, your consideration would be vastly different. Don?t lie to yourself. Same if he just played hockey in a different sweater.

...

Now the badness is in your backyard, and regardless of what actually happened between Kane and his accuser, regardless of the outcome of the investigation, the situation is going to get worse before it gets better. And you?re at a crossroads for which you must make a choice that defines you and your morals. A human highlight reel who just hoisted the Stanley Cup and had sports fans here at the highest of highs may have done something really terrible. He is a sports star who has embarrassed and compromised his employer?again. Only this time an alleged victim now finds herself against the almost-never sympathetic sporting world and vicious misogynistic Internet that has already begun its detestable attack on her as-of-now-anonymous self in defense of their sports hero almost-friend and their own selfishness and ignorance.

...

Don?t dial the phone to male-dominated sports radio to get it off your chest how much you think talking about Kane?s situation is unfair or brakes need pumping or how you feel bad for a guy who once again has put himself in a bad situation. Don?t add your super bright thoughts to Facebook posts and underneath published (probably male-written?hi!) sportswriting about how you think everyone should hold out the possibility that the accuser has ulterior motives. Do not contribute to a very real rape culture in this country and particularly in sports from the high school level on up that you might not want to admit exists.

 

[Frank E]

Sorry CTB, but I think that's a pretty flawed take.

I think suggesting that we not jump to any conclusions is a pretty defensible position.