Right now, many of you have made up your mind about whether Patrick Kane is innocent or guilty. Your mental jury began deliberating inside your head as soon as you first heard that Kane was accused of rape. That’s what the court of public opinion is. As more details became public, some people quickly condemned Kane, and others went the opposite route- swiftly attacking the accuser.
Those who are shaming and blaming the alleged victim have obviously decided Kane is innocent, as have the “he’s good at hockey/a celebrity/a Blackhawks player/Stanley Cup Champion, so therefore he can do no wrong” crowd.
Even the “I’m going to wait until all the facts are in before I give my opinion” crowd have already made up their mind.
If you’re somebody significant with a substantial Patrick Kane related platform, and you choose to remain silent it is still a statement. Your silence, given the fact that you possess a relevant voice, speaks volumes.
Paraphrasing the Canadian band Rush: “if you choose not to choose, then you still have made a choice.”
Of course, everyone’s take on this has significant flaws. There have been serious mistakes made by the media; the legitimate working press. The blogosphere has said some stupid things. There is one website in particular that really shouldn’t be allowed to exist anymore. I’m genuinely shocked they haven’t been sued multiple times.
Luckily for the fate of humanity, their opinion has ZERO influence on the legal proceedings.
As does mine.
As does yours.
Even if you’re a Chicago Tribune or Buffalo News columnist, your opinion means exactly zilch in the court of law.
Only Patrick Kane and his accuser really know for sure what happened in that bedroom of his waterfront mansion. And there are only two more people, Erie County District Attorney Frank Sedita III and Attorney Paul Cambria, who will have as much influence as Kane’s accuser in determining whether or not this goes to trial.
Patrick Kane has already lost his status as a role model or an icon or as some kind of television character that EA Sports, McDonald’s and Bauer Hockey wanted you to believe was wholesome and good. That battle is lost, and it was fought in an arena where our opinions hold some sway. Unlike the legal arena, where our opinions are irrelevant.
That’s a good thing, as we’re not witnesses to the alleged event. We’re not even lawyers or legal professors.
What we can guess however, is that things don’t look good for Patrick Kane. Especially so when you put the two lawyers on paper head to head. Cambria, notes Deadspin, is a longtime attorney for the porn industry. He looked just plain awful in the way he ran his mouth on Facebook this week. The whole episode was captured by Deadspin.
Sedita, on the other hand, runs an office with a 98% conviction rate. So you would assume….actually, no, we shouldn’t assume, as we’re not members of the legal or law enforcement professions.
I joined “Maximus and the Bartender” this week to discuss the Patrick Kane investigation. The podcast is below:
Paul M. Banks owns, operates and writes The Sports Bank.net, which is part of the FOX Sports Engage Network. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, currently contributes to the Chicago Tribune RedEye edition. He also appears regularly on numerous talk radio stations all across the country. Catch him Tuesdays on KOZN 1620 The Zone.
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