You Can't Say That On TV

When Postmedia posted the video and broke the story last night of six Ottawa Senators players having a rather unsavoury discussion about their team inside an Uber vehicle, my initial reaction was shock. Not shock towards what the players had said, but shock in how this video was posted by someone on YouTube. I don't know the laws on what can and can't be posted without someone's consent, but it seemed like posting this video went well beyond anything considered morally and ethically acceptable. While I get that this video contained some rather juicy information for news outlets to salivate over, should the Ottawa Senators be forced to address another public relations disaster because some Uber driver in Phoenix, Arizona thought it would be a good idea to embarrass a few hockey players?

In an article posted on TSN's website today by Ian Mendes, it seems the Senators were aware of the video after the person who posted said video contacted media outlets in Ottawa through social media with a link to the YouTube snippet. I would assume that the reporters and outlets that were contacted turned around and made inquiries to the Senators about the video, prompting Ottawa to contact Uber to have the video removed and kick-starting meetings with players and staff to address the video.

"As soon as it came to our knowledge we addressed it right away. We knew about this well before it went public. We discussed it internally and we took care of it," goaltender Craig Anderson told Mendes. Kudos to the Senators for not only addressing it before the story hit the public forum, but for allowing the players involved to work through what could have been an embarrassing situation for both the team and those six players.

"We dealt with this long before this video was released," Mark Stone added. "As a coaching staff, as management and as players is dealt with internally the way it should be. And we're going to move forward and grow from it."

Rob Khazzam, General Manager of Uber Canada, tweeted out the following last night.

Filming or recording passengers without their consent is totally unacceptable and if reported / detected we will investigate + take action to preserve our communities privacy and integrity. In this specific case, we made efforts to have the video taken down.

— Rob Khazzam (@rkhazzam) November 6, 2018

Whiel I appreciate the GM of Uber Canada coming out and stating that Uber was ensuring that the video was removed, but I can't help but feel like this might be the first of many incidents if Uber doesn't make a concerted effort to put in policies and punishments for those that violate these terms of service.

At what point do public figures get moments of privacy? While I wouldn't say it's of the same nature as the Uber driver's violation above, I've seen fans ask celebrities for autographs or pictures while they've been eating or shopping or out on their own. And while most celebrities will give in to these requests to avoid some sort of backlash, why is it that people can't respect boundaries when it comes to celebrities having some non-public time?

I know that's a philosophical quandary that has no right answer for some, but the conversation in question among Senators players was not for public consumption. Yes, the Uber driver has every right to use a camera in his or her vehicle for safety purposes, but to use that camera to record and posr a TMZ-esque story on players who are blowing off some steam after a 5-1 loss to the Arizona Coyotes is just bad form.

Some of the media weighed in on the situation, and they expressed disgust regarding the posting of this video of what was supposed to be a private conversation.

How many people on a day to day basis complain about their job or their boss or their coworkers? Of course NHL players do it too. What a gutless move to record those Sens players.

— Shawn McKenzie (@ShawnMcKenzieSN) November 6, 2018

The Sens caught on tape in an uber thing is insanity. I think society has gone a bit to far here. The betrayal of the players privacy sickens me. This world is just a little to much, right now.

— Jeff Domet (@jeffdomet) November 6, 2018

Every team in NHL history has had a cab full of guys ripping the coach or GM. That’s a fact. What a compete scumbag move releasing that video

— Ryan Whitney (@ryanwhitney6) November 6, 2018

This is rough for everyone involved, but the invasion of privacy is disgusting. https://t.co/n9GqhR04PQ

— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) November 6, 2018

As the world changes daily with more and more smartphones that have cameras on them get into more hands, privacy will become a bigger issue. Recording someone on Snapchat without their authorization can happen at any time, so it's already happening today and you may not even know. This move by the Uber driver certainly will make professional athletes think twice when it comes to interactions with Uber, Lyft, or taxi cab drivers in the future, and I hope there's some serious thought and effort put into ensuring that this is the last incident like this inside an Uber, Lyft, or taxi-like vehicle.

In the end, I believe there may be a lot less conversation with professional athletes for Uber, Lyft, and taxi cab drivers. It's unfortunate that someone had to go and do something rather stupid when players were goofing off in a car, but that's the reality we live in when it comes to having cameras everywhere now.

It gives one a lot to think about when it comes to one's privacy on a daily basis.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!