Per Chris Johnson’s newest article at Sportsnet.ca, the Evander Kane saga has taken a pretty big and strange twist with more details coming out about the track suit incident.
From the article:
“Kane wore a track suit when the Jets players gathered that morning — a violation of team policy. Following a brief workout and stretch, Byfuglien is said to have thrown those clothes into the shower to send a message to his teammate, according to sources.”
According to the article, Kane refused to play in the game against Vancouver and didn't even make a single appearance at the arena. Johnson also reports that the next time the team saw him was on the flight home. This just keeps getting weirder and weirder, friends.
Additionally, these tweets clarify a bit about why Kane was wearing a tracksuit in the first place and it honestly makes a pile of sense.
1) #jets Evander Kane was in a track suite because he thought the team meeting was at the team hotel and not a the arena.
— Renaud Lavoie (@renlavoietva) February 5, 2015
2) when he realized the meeting was at the Arena he didn’t had time to go back at his place in Vancouver to change. #kane #jets
— Renaud Lavoie (@renlavoietva) February 5, 2015
What does this mean though for the relationship between Kane and his teammates? What does it mean for his future with the Jets? Does he even have a future with the Jets? Along with everything else being reported, Kane's value has apparently plummeted and the return for him should he be traded isn't going to be much.
I think it's safe to say at this point that Evander Kane is on his way out of Winnipeg and while I am incredibly saddened by this, I feel it may be what's best for him at this point. I am a noted Kane fan and while I would love to see him continue in Winnipeg, I just feel like perhaps things have gone too far and for too long for it to be repaired.
Bullying?
I'm treading rather lightly here, but one of the biggest issues being debated over on twitter right now is in regards to whether or not this is bullying. I'm wondering what your thoughts on this are. What would be your answer if I were to ask you whether or not throwing someone's clothes in the shower is bullying? Was Kane justified in not playing in the game if he felt disrespected by this act? What are your thoughts on that? I'm genuinely curious about your responses because they have been so varied on twitter today.
Now, I want you to remove Evander Kane from the situation. Remove Dustin Byfuglien. The scenario is now this: Random Person A wears something that Random Person B doesn’t feel is appropriate for the occasion. Person B waits until Person A takes the clothes off and then throws them in a shower. Is that bullying? Does Person A have the right to refuse to participate in a planned event they had both committed to because of their treatment by Person B?
I think you can all guess where I stand on the issue but I am genuinely curious to hear your thoughts on it, even if you don't agree with me.
