Of Monsters and Men

Apologies to the Icelandic band of the same name, but I could not locate a more-appropriate title for this post than, well, the name of your estimable band. I apologize for any and all confusion.

It's brutal. Another sexual assault involving moneyed and privileged organizations was swept under the rug in service of their ongoing reputations and revenue streams.

I speak of the Chicago Blackhawks denial and cover-up of events dating from May, 2010, where a Blackhawks employee (Brad Aldrich) assaulted a young prospect (Kyle Beach) in the former's apartment.

We've seen this time and again. The victim's complaints are ignored and then buried in the hopes they will turn to dust and just blow away. Be it the Catholic church, Penn State University, Gymnastics USA or a billionaire Wall Street financier, the wealthy and the powerful are allowed to continue in their lives without reproach.

The victims, who rarely enjoy those luxuries, get crushed underfoot. How dare they intrude on these Important and Sacrosanct lives!

But there is a rabbit and the hare dynamic at work here. Yes, wealth draws the curtains very quickly and is expert at getting out in front of these scenarios. But the creaking wheels of justice thankfully catch up, and while not exactly swift, justice is nevertheless served.

And the entities that engaged in the cover-up are left shamed; attempting to pull-up their pants even as they stand on them.

While the Blackhawks have acted somewhat creditably in the wake of their internal investigation, let's not forget it took over a decade for them to do so. Let's also not forget that a code of silence was enacted and spread all the way up the chain of command—even after Aldrich wreaked sexual havoc on still-more victims.

Nope. Nothing to see here, folks. Move along.

It makes the recent resignations, terminations and the request to remove Aldrich's name from the 2010 Stanley Cup ring a bit hollow.

I'm not a hockey fan, and so can't withdrawal my fandom. Much less my season tickets. But the organization's shushing of this so that they might bask in the light of a championship without inhibition paints them as one with a very serious morality problem.

I only hope people don't forget.