It would appear that hockey has at least slithered to the level that public attention can get it to do the right thing a couple of days late. It’s just above barely nothing, but moving from nothing to a couple of inches above barely nothing is the lowest form of progress. But progress.
A couple of days ago, Michigan State hockey player Jagger Joshua released a statement on Twitter:
He felt compelled to go public, because the Big 10 didn’t do anything to punish Ohio State player Kamil Sadlocha. As Sadiocha was the only player given a game misconduct in the game Joshua was referring to, it’s pretty easy to finger him as the player that hurled multiple racial slurs at Joshua.
And of course, the conference at first did nothing, feeling satisfied that the game misconduct was a sufficient penalty for racially abusing an opponent. The idea of “sufficient evidence” was laughable of course, because Sadiocha has been tossed by an on-ice official. It wouldn’t seem that hard for the conference to ask the official why he ejected Sadlocha and get all the evidence they would need.
What the conference’s motivations for letting this pass is unclear, but any conclusion one could draw in their own head would be infuriating and sad. One, they actually do think being ejected from a part of a game is enough for dipping into racism on the ice. Of course, their claim of insufficient evidence wouldn’t support that. It could be their investigation never included talking to the ref, which would be a farce of an investigation. Or they didn’t want to have to hold all their other officials to the same standard. None of this is acceptable.
After Joshua’s statement on Twitter gained traction, Ohio State was forced into action late last night, which feels suspiciously like a news dump, doesn’t it?:
This was after MSU and OSU released an earlier statement saying they had come to a sort of resolution, not explaining what that was or whom they had spoken with or whatever else, while also never saying any word that had to do with racism. It was as mealy-mouthed as could be, perhaps in the vain hope that it would all just blow over. That would be the usual hockey way.
In the end, the situation was resolved as it should have been, with Sadlocha booted off the team. But hockey once again had to be dragged kicking and screaming to the right choice in what is a pretty cut-and-dried situation. Maybe one day they’ll get there merely dragging their feet instead of kicking and screaming.
Cristiano go
Cristiano Ronaldo finally got what he wanted, which was to be let out of his contract with Manchester United as publicly declaring everyone is an idiot that you work for usually works. What he really wanted was everyone talking about it when he wasn’t even playing, which he also got.
The funniest outcome, now that he’s a free agent, is that Ronaldo finds that no Champions League club wants to pay him what will still surely be an outrageous salary ask because Ronaldo can’t really do anything anymore. Unless you’re a team that can accommodate an obelisk that can only stand around the penalty spot and have your other players bank the ball off him into the net. Fingers crossed.
Though the news came out on the same day that the Glazers are reportedly putting the club up for sale. Perhaps the Ronaldo affair was the straw that broke their back, in which case he’ll be a United hero to fans forever if it rids them of the Glazers. Somehow he always wins.
Were they porn yesterday?
Finally, missed this on Sunday:
Not that I know who that is, of course.
