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What happened to civility? McSorley's act further proof that sport has no boundaries
It's going to happen. Someday an athlete's going to willfully kill or permanently disable another athlete in an act of rage on the so-called field of play. I don't know when; I don't know which sport; but I'm certain that such a tragedy is imminent. Tuesday's announcement that hockey tough guy Marty McSorley would be suspended for one-year -- the longest suspension for an on-ice violation in NHL history -- is evidence that Commissioner Gary Bettman shares my concern. You've probably seen the videotape. Last Feb. 20 McSorley, who was playing for the Boston Bruins, brained Vancouver Canucks' forward Donald Brashear with his stick in the closing minutes of a game, an act so blatantly premeditated that Vancouver prosecutors not only took the case to court, but won it. McSorley's attack had nothing to do with hockey, even the violent brand played in the NHL, and everything to do with personal revenge and an utter lack of self control. Brashear had thumped McSorley in a fight earlier in the game and, quite simply, McSorley's demons got the better of him. He became a criminal. To get even he blindsided Brashear by bashing him in the temple. Brashear missed the next 20 games with a severe concussion, but it's no exaggeration to say he could have died. McSorley was suspended indefinitely by the league and, on Oct. 6, convicted of assault with a weapon. How he avoided jail time is beyond me, but presiding judge William Kitchen, in his wisdom, gave the 37-year-old McSorley a conditional discharge, meaning McSorley will have it expunged from his record at the end of his probation. McSorley is free to resume his hockey career on Feb. 21 if anyone will sign him. Which someone will. Trust me on this. McSorley's attack on Brashear will, if anything, extend his career. His skills are fading, but as I write this there are general managers privately thinking their team needs an infusion of McSorley's win-at-all-cost attitude. To which I say: one day that cost will be death. It's not just hockey. There's a recklessness to many of today's athletes, a lack of self-control that is at the heart of the high-profile court cases, those that in recent years have infected sport. O.J. Simpson, of course. Mike Tyson, whose actions have been criminal both in the ring (biting off part of Evander Holyfield's ear) and out (rape). When Roger Clemens fired the broken barrel of a bat in the direction of Mike Piazza during the World Series, we saw a portrait of the athlete as an irrational beast. It stunned the crowd into an awkward silence. But imagine the reaction if the broken bat had hit Piazza and, stuck, spear-like, into his neck. What about the incident earlier in the season, when Clemens, who takes as much pride in his reputation as an intimidator as McSorley, beaned Piazza in the helmet, giving the Mets slugger a concussion? No one with any knowledge of baseball believes it was an accident. Clemens is too precise with his control. That was as intentional as McSorley's slash to Brashear's head. But Clemens wasn't even thrown out of the game, never mind suspended for an entire year. Why is a hardball thrown at 95 mph any less a weapon than a hockey stick? What if the pitch had hit Piazza in the eye instead of the helmet, ending his career? It happens. At the age of 22 Boston slugger Tony Conigliaro effectively had his career cut short by a beanball in 1967. It's crazy. There is a difference between playing hard and playing out of control. Hockey great Gordie Howe played hard -- no one played harder. No one was tougher. Many noses were broken by his fist or elbow, but always in the context of the game. My favorite story about him was the time he was facing goalie Gump Worsley, who wasn't wearing a mask. Worsley was down, the puck inches from his face. Howe was at the crease. He could have shot and probably scored, but he'd almost certainly have injured Worsley. He held up until the goalie froze the puck. "Thanks, Gordie," said Worsley. "I'll be back," Howe winked. Civility. Class. Restraint. Call it what you want, but we could use a large dose of it in pro sports today. Sports Illustrated senior writer E.M. Swift will contribute regular
Viewpoints to CNNSI.com. The opinions expressed here are solely those of the
writer.
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