Evander Kane says arrests just happen to famous athletes sometimes
Evander Kane met the media as Buffalo Sabres training camp opened on Thursday, two months after he was arrested and charged with four separate counts of non-criminal harassment and one count of criminal trespass, which is a misdemeanor.
The arrest stemmed from an incident at a Buffalo bar during NHL Draft weekend. According to police sources via the Buffalo News, witness statements alleged that Kane “grabbed” a woman around the throat and “tried pushing her into his car” at around 3:11 a.m. At around 3:15 a.m., Kane allegedly “grabbed her by the arms and tried forcing her out of the bar.” Police said they also have surveillance camera footage as evidence.
Kane’s next court appearance is due on Oct. 31.
You might be wondering what his reaction to all of this is. From the Buffalo News:
“These situations are what they are,” Kane said in KeyBank Center. “They happen to athletes or people in a position such as myself. Those are things you just have to deal with and kind of come with the territory. In saying that, you have to be a little more aware and kind of put yourself on a higher pedestal than you maybe think you are.
“Off the ice, these things unfortunately happen more often than not. They’re only becoming more and more relevant every day if you look around the other sports. For me, it’s just trying to stay out of that kind of stuff, kind of picking my spots better.”
While NO ONE would argue that Evander Kane should avoid putting himself in situations in which he could end up the focus of a police investigation for allegedly harming other people, a word about this tactic.
No one’s sure how this arrest for Kane is going to play out, but it’s worth mentioning that he also recently filed a countersuit against a woman who accused him of sexually assaulting her in Dec. 2015, citing defamation. Police never brought charges against Kane.
All of this would seem to point to a “famous person keeps getting falsely accused of things” defense in his most recent arrest, as the countersuit seemed strategically timed. Not saying it’s correct of incorrect, but that seems to be where it’s headed.
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Greg Wyshynski is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Contact him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or find him on Twitter. His book, TAKE YOUR EYE OFF THE PUCK, is available on Amazon and wherever books are sold.
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