I have now read two articles and listened to a radio report about Ottawa Senators' forward Shane Pinto's suspension for sports wagering activities, and I still don't really understand what the guy did that was so egregious that it would make him grovel so, apologizing to "the National Hockey League, the Ottawa Senators, my teammates, the fans and city of Ottawa, and most importantly my family".
His 41-game suspension was for "activities related to sports wagering". And yet, the NHL specifically issued a statement saying that it found no evidence that Pinto made any bets in its games. The NHL' s collective bargaining agreement states that "Gambling on any NHL Game is prohibited", but he does not appear to have contravened that particular rule. So ... what did he do?
I can only conclude that he made bets on other games, unrelated to hockey. Sports betting is now completely legal in Canada, a relatively recent change in the law that I have already argued was ill-advised. So, the guy was suspended for the season for doing something that was quite legal, in his own time?
Sports gambling is now intrinsically wrapped up with professional hockey (and most other professional sports), with stars like Connor McDavid, Austin Matthews and the Great One himself regularly appearing in its advertising campaigns. The Senators have Bet99 and Betway as helmet sponsors for God's sake!
Before they go suspending young, impressionable players, shouldn't they get their own house in order, and stop sending mixed messages?
No comments:
Post a Comment