Early Monday morning, LA Kings defenseman Slava Voynov was arrested for domestic abuse towards a woman he was with, who did not want to be identified.
Just a couple of hours later, his $50,000 bail had been posted and he was out. It spread all over NHL news like wildfire that the player had been suspended indefinitely with pay and that was the end of it.
Many people are questioning that is he getting the quick and easy treatment after all the backlash from other domestic abuses cases in the NFL. Is it just an easy way for the Kings’ coach, Darryl Sutter, to keep things quiet and figured out without TMZ watching their every move? Could Voynov’s lawyer’s claim be true and maybe nothing actually happened as the woman could have over exaggerated what actually happened?
Any of these could be true but the real problem is that anyone who would even think about laying a hand on someone else should not be getting a lenient punishment and should go through all of the investigation procedures to give all parties involved a fair case.
Just a few months ago, the NFL was under major backlash with the the Ray Rice abuse case. The infamous video of him and his wife was circulated everywhere and he was on every show and news station from TMZ to Fox News to ESPN. Not only did he make himself look terrible and drown his career, but people started questioning NFL ethics, which led to no other choice but banning him indefinitely.
If Rice was found guilty, the NFL also would only pay him the rest of the amount from his 2014 salary and he would be done. This would seem like the ideal choice of punishment because a grown man should know better than to act like that. If the NFL did that, why would the NHL and the LA Kings take it so easy on Voynov?
Most would think that giving suspension with pay is a very soft punishment and without any jail time or maybe even without a trial. Voynov’s lawyer, Craig Renetzky is also keeping media in check with as least of information as possible on what really happened, which could be incriminating or maybe there really is nothing. Either way, the truth should not be hidden if a man is hurting a woman.
The lack of information just makes the whole situation also look worse and very sneaky on the league’s part. Renetzky compared it to Rice and made him look like the devil while Voynov was the angel.
“If you look at the Rice case, this guy cold-cocked or punched the woman and dragged her out of the elevator. When people hear domestic violence, they immediately jump to that, assuming it’s the same thing. It’s not,” Renetzky said. “In this case, my client never punched the woman. I can’t go into great detail. This is nothing like that incident. My client did take her to the hospital.”
Yes, he did take her to the hospital but there was obviously something that alarmed doctors enough to call the police. Whether they like it or not, the media has its eye on Voynov, the case, and the NHL now. Just because the NHL wants to keep things under wraps does not mean their players should not go through the same punishment. If anyone hurts a significant other in any way, they do not deserve a paid vacation.