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Reactions: Marty McSorley McSorley belongs behind bars, not on ice
Marty McSorley's trial started Monday in Vancouver, and if he is convicted on charges for assault with a deadly weapon -- his hockey stick -- McSorley could face up to 1 1/2 years in prison. The charges stem from a Feb. 21 NHL hockey game, in which McSorley struck Donald Brashear in the head with his stick. We asked CNNSI.com users if they thought the arm of the law should extend onto the playing surface. Judging by the responses, most feel like McSorley should be punished further for his violent action. Here's a sample: The law, as written, does not change if you are in a hockey rink. The British Columbia criminal justice personnel must do their job and make the charges.
Action taken by professional athletes, such as McSorley did, should be criminal offenses. Most professional athletes are the idols and icons our children look up to and often imitate. Being professional athlete is a job title just like a salesperson or an actor or truck driver. If a vendor hauled off and whacked a truck driver like McSorley did to Brashear, he/she would be up on criminal charges, and probably for attempted murder. I hope this sets a precedent for future athletes!
The courts should definitely be involved. The NHL discipline is merely punishment involving wrongdoing towards another player and breaking ethical rules in game playing. The injured party has rights, as a person, to not be subjected to physical assault. McSorley violated someone's rights and therefore should be tried as a criminal who committed a crime.
There is no question that Marty McSorley's assault on Donald Brashear was perhaps the most brutal example of violence in North American sports. Consequently, there is no question that McSorley should be punished to the fullest extent of the law -- NHL law that is. After all, this did not occur out on the street; I trust that the NHL is fully capable of punishing its offenders -- no matter how severe a violation may be. We must also remember that certain situations (i.e., an NHL game) tend to change reasonable expectations of human behavior. Therefore, we cannot possibly consider McSorley's actions as an assault with a "weapon." Prosecuting an event that took place inside a professional hockey game -- involving only the two participants could set a dangerous precedent. I could understand a general concern with the National Hockey League and its ability to control/police itself; nonetheless, the legal authorities should not go after individuals.
I believe that McSorley should be prosecuted by the state. He is a criminal! If the NHL is defending him by simply stating that anything done on the ice would be handled by them, then I am going get on the ice shoot a couple of people, and deal with the NHL. I believe the NHL is being more than ignorant in this case.
McSorley is an individual like you and me; he has no special rights. He should be prosecuted and obviously punished. The NHL is saying it already cost McSorley a suspension and $72,000.00. That's fine and dandy, but if I do that to my co-worker, McSorley and Brashear could be considered in a way co-workers, I would be fired, prosecuted and then sued.
I am not a fan of hockey ... the game is for little boys who are unable to control their emotions and never learn accountability for their "goonish" actions. I favor prosecution for this player who obviously has not learned the art of sportsmanship. Maybe a month in jail, several hundred hours of community service and anger management classes could point him in the right direction.
Sports should not be above the law. If someone is deliberately assaulted in sports or on the streets, the courts should hold them accountable. Why wait until someone is killed to send a message that such conduct will not be tolerated in a civil society?
The "violence mentality" in professional (male) athletics is far too pervasive, notwithstanding the opinions of the fans who seem to clamor for it. It's too likely that young kids who try to emulate such behavior in sports will have it spill over into their personal lives. My opinion: Charge McSorley and make him criminally liable for his actions (in spite of the fact that he thinks that he has suffered enough).
I think that the law shouldn't interfere with this case, because it's part of the game. There is a NHL commission for this, right? Everybody knows the risks of the game, I know it is a brutal action, but still ... I think McSorley was just getting too eager to enforce a fight and it went wrong, although he hit Brashear very hard in the head. He could have tried to trip or hook Brashear, it was a rude action to swing his stick to someone's head. I still hope that Brashear will recover fully, so he can continue his career and play at his best. And McSorley has to play a little bit more careful with his actions.
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