There are no winners in the case against Evander Kane

By Marc Deschamps 

credit: Evander Kane (Instagram)

Last Sunday, Buffalo Sabres forward Evander Kane was accused of sexual abuse. While no charges have been filed as of this writing, it appears that a battle in the court of public opinion has already kicked off. It certainly doesn't hurt that the case has some uncomfortable similarities to the allegations made against Patrick Kane earlier this year.  

Evander Kane has been a model citizen since arriving in Buffalo. The young forward seemed to lack maturity during his time with the Winnipeg Jets, but his brief career in Buffalo had shown quite the opposite. Last month, Kane even took a group of 50 children from the Boys and Girls Club out for dinner and a shopping spree in time for the holiday. Of course, that doesn't make Kane more or less likely to be innocent. Still, it's distressing that a player that seemed to have grown in his role off the ice is now in a situation like this one. 

Perhaps the most distressing thing about both the cases against Evander Kane and Patrick Kane is that it’s resulted in some making a joke out of sexual abuse. Domestic and sexual abuse aren't exactly new to the world of sports; the NFL has had a number of problems related to these things, of late. Still, cases like these can be difficult for some fans to wrap their heads around. With sports, fans place so much emotional investment in their teams, that they often end up "rooting" for their favorite player in matters like these, rather than for the truth. Some even look for ways to excuse the behavior. Fans will question why that girl put herself in that scenario, or what she has to gain. Some will even make light of the situation. One only need glimpse at Twitter, where Evander Kane's scoring ability has been equated with his success with women. These types of comparisons trivialize the situation. 

Sadly, it's easy to see why the Evander Kane case has drawn such skepticism. After all, the case against Patrick Kane was little more than a circus show. A fake evidence bag apparently planted by the alleged victim's mother made the case little more than a punchline, killing the credibility of the accuser. Most sex abuse victims already find it hard enough to make accusations against their assailants without being accused of lying. When you add in a celebrity, it becomes even more difficult. Bill Cosby allegedly victimized women for years with minimal legal difficulty, as a result of this kind of fear.

While the allegations against Patrick Kane never actually went to trial after the fake evidence bag was discovered, his reputation still took a hit as a result. Kane has drawn boos in plenty of cities he's visited since, including his hometown. Only Pat Kane and his accuser will ever truly know what happened that night, but both have found themselves judged as guilty without a trial. The city of Buffalo also appears guilty regardless of outcome in both Kane cases. Either the city appears to be a place where athletes are allowed free reign, or one where false accusers are setting back the progress of sex abuse victims. 

While it's far too early to make any sort of judgment call about the allegations regarding Evander Kane, fans should try to remember that this is a real case with real people involved. No matter what the conclusion is, there isn't a good outcome. If Kane is guilty, a woman's life is forever changed and Kane's promising career is thrown away. If Kane is innocent, women that actually deal with sexual abuse will undoubtedly have a more difficult time convincing people that they are to be believed, and Kane will have to deal with a black mark on his career. It's not always easy as sports fans to recognize the importance of issues beyond their impact on the teams we root for, but nothing is more important than justice, no matter what that means.