OK, you know what? I'm not done being salty and PISSED about this. The fact that Voynov isn't STILL IN JAIL and gets to be a free a rich dude? THAT is his "second chance" and already more than he deserves. Arguing that he deserves a chance at more than that is GROSS AS HELL.
There is only one person on the entire PLANET, frankly, who should get to argue that Voynov is a changed man, and that is his *wife*. You know, the one he PUNCHED THROUGH A TELEVISION? To whom he is STILL MARRIED? And no, the fact that marriage continues isn't proof of SHIT.
Victims stay with their abusers for any number of reasons; they often defend them, even in the fact of abuse, through fear of repercussion. You would have to put Voynova in a far safer position than she currently occupies for her to be able to speak publicly & objectively.
And even IF - even IF you did that, and she was safe and happy and told everyone how good a man he is now? That does not mean the LEAGUE is obliged to forgive him: to put existing players in the position of having no choice but to associate with a man who brutally harmed his wife
As guys like @MarkMaddenX manifestly care jack about Voynov's wife in all this, let's frame it in terms they might understand: you think players who feel sick at the thought of domestic violence want to play with a guy who's committed it? You think they'd ENJOY playing with him?
You think that's gonna bring some fucking character to the room, a sense of camaraderie, trust and bromanship, to jump through hoops to sign a guy who went to jail for spousal abuse? Or do you think it's gonna fracture a team irreparably?
Listen, I know it's tempting to think of athletes, especially in team sports, as obedient robots who'll do or say anything for the good of the group, such that Outside Forces like politics or whatever can't cause rifts, but let's be fucking real: that shit happens CONSTANTLY.
When guys have to play with someone they think is a piece of shit, that doesn't make for good chemistry or good team unity. It means a bunch of people get really fucking stressed or angry or withdrawn, depending on team culture, and you burden everyone with it.
Shit, the Flames apparently traded Dougie Hamilton because he liked going to museums instead of bars with the boys, and that's, like, the most benign possible culture-clash imaginable: oh no, we have a player who's quiet and thinks about history! But Voynov is an ACTUAL ABUSER.
I could rant about this for hours, but in a nutshell: no, the fact that Voynov did a joke amount of jail time and had to stop playing for a bit does NOT mean he's all cuddly sunshine now and deserves to have the league back. He can fuck off entirely and good riddance.
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