Nov. 06--Of all the emails that stuffed my inbox Thursday staunchly defending Blackhawks star Patrick Kane's honor and innocence, the most fascinating came in a 462-word doozy on official letterhead.
Let's say Frank from Buffalo sent it.
"The totality of the credible evidence -- the proof -- does not sufficiently substantiate the complainant's allegation that she was raped by Patrick Kane, and this so-called 'case' is rife with reasonable doubt," the boldest part of the statement said.
OK, Frank from Buffalo was really Erie County District Attorney Frank A. Sedita III. And though he didn't use a frown emoji or ALL CAPS to type "so-called case," his message was loud and clear -- especially loud.
Projecting the persona of a sports-talk radio caller, Sedita used unusually pointed language to announce Kane will not face rape charges after an exhaustive three-month investigation. Thus, a case full of unexpected twists and turns came to an appropriately inappropriate end with Sedita's sardonic tone making the next alleged victim of sexual assault even more reluctant to come forward for fear of public backlash. One prominent Chicago defense lawyer called the district attorney's candid opinion about the accuser's weak case "extraordinary." Legal experts in Buffalo agreed.
Even Kane projected less exuberance, restating his innocence in a joint statement issued with the Hawks as they traveled to New Jersey for Friday's game.
"I have repeatedly said that I did nothing wrong," Kane said. "I have respected the legal process and I am glad that this matter now has been closed and I will have nothing further to say going forward."
Said the Hawks: "We respect the announcement. ... The Chicago Blackhawks organization has taken this matter very seriously, and has tried to navigate a very sensitive situation while continually respecting the legal proceedings."
One could argue, as I have, that allowing Kane to attend training camp and keeping Patrick Kane Bobblehead Night on the schedule, for example, failed to show the proper respect for legal proceedings the Hawks claimed to have. That objection never was about a player as much as the process, and an organization with high standards acting like everything was normal in the midst of a sexual-assault allegation. Everything wasn't.
The assertion here never was that Kane was guilty, only that the Hawks should have waited for more clarity before allowing him on the ice. Until the evidence-bag fiasco in late September, no such clarity existed. At that point, the Hawks could have taken their stance and Kane still could have had plenty of time to join the team before the season-opener.
Nobody who advocated for the Hawks to take a more deliberate approach owes the team or Kane an apology. Nobody who presumed Kane's innocence while pushing the Hawks to show more sensitivity to a sexual-assault charge needs to feel sorry for the strength of their convictions.
The sorriest part of this whole affair was the way differing opinions unleashed ugliness on both sides of the argument, but such is life in the social-media cesspool sports debate has become. Some of the supporters so quick to believe in Kane's innocence were the first to insist the accuser was guilty of lying yet unable to see how incongruous that was. This saga has not brought out the best in anybody.
Forging ahead, Kane sounded as if he plans not to answer all of those questions he appreciated so much at the training camp news conference at Notre Dame. Rare is the journalist who endorses the no-comment route but, at this point, Kane has nothing to add. A civil suit remains a possibility, and nothing Kane could say anyway matters as much as what he can do now, which is grow up, finally. No. 88 turns 27 in two weeks.
A three-month investigation concluded only that Kane was guilty of perhaps poor judgment, but on that he is a repeat offender. You don't see the Hawks organization scrambling to close ranks every couple of years because Jonathan Toews appeared intoxicated at a bar or compromised in an online photo. You can't tolerate such behavior from Kane ever again if you're a Hawks executive, not without becoming an enabler -- or more of one.
Thom Serafin, a crisis-communications expert and CEO of Serafin Associates, has made a career of helping high-profile people rehabilitate their images. He thinks Kane still can because of his age, likability and a support system necessary to facilitate any major changes. Kane's brand will recover and reach its potential, Serafin believes, but only if his lifestyle resembles more the wholesome guy everybody sees driving Chevys and pushing Big Macs.
"The most difficult part will be the discipline to stick to the plan he has to have," said Serafin, whose crisis-management experience dates back to working for former 1988 presidential candidate Gary Hart. "My gut instinct tells me he should play hockey, do the right things quietly, attend any classes (like gender-sensitivity training), mature, stay out of trouble and do what's good for the organization."
What's best for Kane now is continuing to play at a high level and keep a low profile. Not necessarily in that order.
dhaugh@tribpub.com
