Different Games

Last summer, the Black Hawks’ Patrick Kane did something stupid of a sexual nature.  A woman accused him of sexual assault at his suburban Buffalo mansion, but local authorities found the facts did not warrant prosecution.  Yesterday, the NHL declared the matter closed and did not punish Kane for said behavior.

Compare the Kane case to that of Yankees’ reliever Aroldis Chapman, who last autumn reportedly choked his girlfriend and then unloaded his gun into a garage wall.  Again, local authorities chose not to prosecute, though in this case they had little choice given that the alleged victim refused to testify against her boyfriend.  But that didn’t stop Commissioner Rob Manfred last week from slapping Chapman with a 30-game suspension once the season starts.

I just have to wonder.  What would Manfred have done with Kane?  Sooner or later, a similar situation will come up with a major-league ballplayer, and we’ll see.