The Bill Comes Due

The last twenty-four hours in Manitoba hockey circles has been nothing short of disgusting and deplorable. A number of players who have skated in Manitoba at one point at the MJHL and U SPORTS levels were caught in a private chat that went public after someone leaked screenshots of the chat, and to read what these men where saying within that chat is not only shocking, but downright reprehensible. I've watched some of these players play at the University of Manitoba for the Bisons. I've seen a couple of them play on TV with NHL teams. But what they wrote in this chat should cost them the privilege of skating for their teams, and it seems, as Mordo would say above, that the bill has come due today.

As it stands, there were ten players whose names were seen as part of the chat, and there has been some fallout from what was seen on the chat. We'll run down some the names here shortly, but let me be very clear in that what these men said is abhorrent and they deserve the consequences for these actions. The comments they made about some of the women they spoke about in the chat were vile, and I'm glad they're getting what they deserve for what they said.

There are three women I want to highlight before we go on because these three women seemed to be the targets of this repulsive chat and the fallout from it, and those three women are Nicole Zajac, Chloe Giesbrecht, and Shan Furness. The first two were being talked about by the men in the priate chat while Furness was one of the people who brought it to the spotlight.

All three suffered some rather misogynist and ridiculous name-calling through this ordeal, and I want these three ladies to know that I hold them high as heroes for their reactions to these miscreants. They've responded confidently and proudly in who they are, and I can't think of a better way to react. Their courage and their integrity are the stuff that young girls should emulate, and I hope these women inspire everyone to be better because they are showing they are the very best of the best in this.

What should bother people after these players were outed for their comments is that I find it hard that anyone can defend them. We all know that what is said or done in private is often entirely different than the façade that is shown in public. Men who abuse their wives are often seen as "loving" and "caring" in the public eye before everyone finds out about the monster that lurks privately. This is what concerns me these men because I now wonder if their actions in the chat were similar to how they behaved behind closed doors in real life.

I know I keep reminding people of this, but sports are a microcosm of society. The fact that this went on in a private chat between hockey men is just a slice of that microcosm because this happens in other sports, in other industries, and in other sectors of life as well. It's not isolated in terms of it happening as some would have you believe, but rather it's only isolated in that it was exposed. Most times, this sort of chatter doesn't even reach the light of day, but it does still happen and those involved in these sorts of chats need to really check themselves when it comes to what their own beliefs and ethics.

The men listed in this next section have shown not only an appalling lack of respect towards women, but their general demeanor towards the fairer sex in general requires a huge attitude adjustment. The consequences from their actions might be the first step, but there's still a lot of work to do before I believe they should be allowed to rejoin society as functioning adults. These men are:

• Brendan Leipsic: waived unconditionally by the Washington Capitals for the purpose of terminating his contract. Leipsic was on his fifth team in five seasons as a bottom-six forward, and it's likely he won't find employment with another as the apparent ringleader of this private chat. That being said, the incredible stupidity it takes to risk the privilege of playing in the NHL by body-shaming women and making reprehensible comments about others is astounding.
• Jake Rodewald: under investigation by the NHL and, by proxy, the Florida Panthers. No decision has been issued on his future at this time.My guess is that he likely will be waived just as his cohort Leipsic was.
• Jordyn Boyd: fired from his job with Labatt Breweries. The former Manitoba Bisons forward seemed to have a pretty sweet gig with a major Canadian brewery, but that's now in the past. Actions have consequences.
• Spencer Tremblay: reportedly in discussions regarding his future with The Rink Hockey Academy. As per Paul Friesen of the Winnipeg Sun, "[h]is name has been removed from the staff list, but his lawyer tells me the discussions are ongoing." While I believe in people being innocent until proven guilty, it sounds like Tremblay is trying to get out in front of this one.
• Warren Callis: unknown. Warren was a member of the Manitoba Bisons men's team for the last four years, so he may have graduated this year with a degree. If he wasn't planning on returning to the school and playing his fifth year of eligibility, this might be the last time we hear Warren Callis' name in hockey circles.
• Jackson Keane: handled internally by the University of North Dakota. I don't know exactly what that means for the future of Keane as a member of the UND Hawks, but I sense the university will want to see major changes out of Jackson moving forward.
• Brandon Lauder: unknown. Lauder played with the MJHL's Portage Terriers.
• Tyler Morwick: unknown. Tyler played with the MMJHL's Charleswood Hawks.
• Travis Brown: unknown. Travis played with the WHL's Moose Jaw Warriors.
• Jeremey Leipsic: released by the University of Manitoba who terminated his athletic scholarship. While Jeremey never made comments in the chat that were directly attributed to him that I could see, the fact that there was some alluding to behaviors which mirrored those of his brother and others was enough for the University of Manitoba's Athletic Director Gene Muller to release the statement below.

As we enter Mother's Day weekend, it was hard to see the comments made by these men knowing they have mothers and sisters they'd defend with their lives if someone were to say what they said, but that fact never seems to sink in for some. As far as I know, these men were raised in good households where they were given every opportunity to excel, so I struggle with how disrespectful they are when it took many people to help them, to push them, to coach them, and to drive them to be the best they could be.

But maybe that's the rub, right? For all the challenges they faced and overcame, it's like they've never faced a true test of character. I suppose, employing the microcosm idea once more, that the same can be said for a lot of people who aren't in the sports world whose behavior on social media has cost them their jobs, but it seems the once-safe sanctuary of professional sports is starting to catch up to the rest of society as well. In some cases, the broadcasters do a better job holding their people who covers sports accountable than the sports themselves.

If you're counting, there are nine linked articles above that illustrate how comments made by men either have rightfully cost them their jobs or allowed people to pressure organizations to remove them from the equation. It's hard to believe that I'm writing this in 2020, but how much longer does this kind of garbage have to go on?

If you're out there defending any of these men at this point, you're part of the problem. There literally is no defence for what these men said in that group chat, and any defence mounted for them only puts you on the wrong side of everything decent and good. What they wrote is indefensible, and actions have consequences as these ten men have now realized.

The apology that Brendan Leipsic put out wasn't because he's trying to make amends with the women he degraded. He only apologized because he got caught making the most heinous of the comments. The consequence of him losing his NHL job and now being radioactive for any other team is a direct result of those comments, and it's a brutal lesson to learn about privilege and how fast one can fall by being a complete and utter jackass on social media. But it's a necessary lesson, and one that Brendan Leipsic nor any of his friends in the group chat will soon forget.

The bill comes due. Always.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!