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NHL Handled Slava Voynov’s Domestic Abuse Arrest As Best It Could

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By @powerplaywithcj

Slava Voynov

Brace Hemmelgarn-USA Today Sports

After the nightmarish run the NFL went through over the last 4-5 months in terms of players being arrested for domestic violence, the eyes of the world have been on athletes and the issue of domestic violence. The NHL and its players had stayed out of this cycle until today when Los Angeles Kings defenseman Slava Voynov was arrested in Torrance, California and charged with assaulting a woman he has been in a relationship with.

Voynov accompanied the victim to the hospital where he was arrested by the Redondo Beach Police and charged with domestic violence. The NHL acted swiftly as less than nine hours later the league announced the 24-year old defenseman was suspended indefinitely pending the results of the investigation .

While the investigation is ongoing, Voynov will continue to get paid, but won’t be around the team which spares the Kings the distraction of being under an even bigger microscope. Voynov will rightfully get his day in court, but until then, the NHL had really no option as allowing him to play would be a black eye for the league and not paying him when he has yet to be convicted of a crime wouldn’t be ethical.

The court of law says Voynov is innocent until proven guilty and I agree 100% with this ever-important pillar of organized society. Having said that, the court of public opinion and that of brands like the NHL watching out for their bottom line are entirely different stories and need to act accordingly.

Unlike the NFL, the NHL didn’t sit around and let the public outcry force their hand. Instead, they took firm action right away and in doing so, distributed a zero tolerance policy for the growing issue of domestic violence.

In taking its swift, firm action, I can say without a shadow of a doubt, the NHL got it right.

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