A women's rights advocate addressed Logan Mailloux's case with aplomb!
"Hockey Unfiltered" journalist Ken Campbell conducted a major interview on the eve of Logan Mailloux's return to action.
*The CH's first pick in 2021 is expected to play tomorrow night when the London Knights host the Flint Firebirds. *
Campbell interviewed Jessie Rodger, Executive Director of Anova, a London-based support center for sexually assaulted people.
Mailloux was supposed to serve a 29-game suspension for his offense in Sweden in 2020. He was only out for 26 games in the end.
Rodger did not judge the OHL's decision to reduce his suspension. Instead, she thought about the victim in all of this.
"I think about the victim. (Mailloux) is going to be fine. It's not about not wanting this guy to have a career. He's going to have a career. The culture of cancellation is not right. He's going to be fine. But I don't know how this young lady is doing. I also know that there will be other young men who see what happened to Logan, will they take it seriously? There will be other young women who see what happened to the victim, will they feel safe?"
While Mailloux's action is COMPLETELY unacceptable, in her opinion, the young person should not have to pay for his entire life for a mistake along the way. She believes that the victim, as well as Mailloux, have the tools to get out of this mess.
"I don't think anyone should be punished in perpetuity for an error of judgment," she said.
"People often think that when someone is sexually assaulted, they carry a dark mark for the rest of their life. That's not the case. She has every potential to get through the rest of her life and get through it. This is something that happened to her at some point and she will heal. But you can't do that if the person who did this to you doesn't take responsibility in a way that feels right and authentic. That's why I think Logan has a really incredible opportunity here."
Ken Campbell took the opportunity to commend Mailloux's efforts in dealing with the consequences of his actions in a transparent manner. In no way Mailloux tried to run away from his situation.
"Mailloux has seriously sought to make amends for what he did and has done everything right after doing something so terrible. He asked not to be drafted, but he was drafted by the Montreal Canadiens in the first round anyway in what became an immediate public relations disaster that contributed to some people losing their jobs. He was committed to doing his job, he was as forthright as possible in dealing with the consequences of his actions, and while he had the opportunity to play elsewhere this season, he chose to stay in London to serve his suspension and commit to therapy and improvement."
As he finished writing his article, Ken Campbell even had a wise wish for the victim and Logan Mailloux. He said they should not be continually affected by this incident. They will bounce back from this.
"Hopefully the woman involved will not have to carry this dark mark for the rest of her life. And if Mailloux handles this terrible mistake as well as he has so far, he shouldn't either."
Mailloux shouldn't be too affected by his return to action, as remember, the OHL plays its games behind closed doors. We know how ruthless the fans can be in a hockey arena. He will be spared this ordeal, at least for now.
