Chantal Machabée shared her feelings on Logan Mailloux!
On Friday night, a scandal was created by the Montreal Canadiens selecting young Logan Mailloux in the NHL entry draft, even though he had asked the NHL teams not to do so.
The defenseman had been seriously charged for a crime he committed in Sweden, namely sharing a photo taken during a sexual act with teammates. The young lady involved had commented on the situation.
The reactions and comments on this case can be calculated in spades, but very few are constructive. However, Chantal Machabée, a very popular and recognized journalist throughout the NHL, gave her thoughts on the whole situation.
She shared a sincere and powerful message through her Facebook account:
"In my 38-year career, I've heard a lot of things. Logan Mailloux is not the first to have made a profound mistake, there have been others before him, before the era of social networks. But times have changed and news spreads quickly. I hope, however, that there will be an awareness and that there will be less and less, or even the disappearance, of degrading events like this."
Mailloux is working on himself, to his credit. She even hopes that the young man will be made aware of his situation, because the acts committed are very serious.
"The young man may even be at the origin of a movement of transformation with the objective of a higher respect for women. For that is what this is all about. They say he made a mistake. Yes and no. Logan Mailloux's mistake was taking the photo of the young woman. The rest, the sequence of events, is not a mistake, it is contempt, it is abuse of power over his victim. He wanted to 'impress' his teammates, to be part of the gang, at the expense of the young woman's dignity. Sharing the photo with his teammates as well as revealing the identity of the victim (sharing the name, age and profile picture of one of her social media accounts) underscores a great deal of immaturity certainly, but more importantly, a long way to go... which he has already begun according to what he said this morning at a press briefing."
The very sympathetic journalist even thinks that the young man has the right to forgiveness and a second chance.
"Does he have the right to a second chance? Of course he does! He has been in therapy for a few months, so he is on the right track. Can the Canadiens help him on his journey? Absolutely! I am sure that the Habs are equipped to accompany him in his good will.
She strongly praised Mailloux's work in the interview, noting that the youngster is only 18 years old...
"It was not easy for Logan Mailloux to answer questions from reporters this morning. Let's remember that the young man is only 18 years old, not very experienced in front of the media. He did it with aplomb, admitting his faults more than once. I believe he is sincere."
To conclude her statement, she pointed the finger at the Montreal organization, as she wished everything had been done differently. In addition, she has some wishes for the future.
"I just wish the Habs would have respected the young man's desire not to be drafted so he could focus on the important values he needs to assimilate. He has talent, no doubt, but we're not talking about a gifted player either. The Canadiens could have avoided this scandal.
I think a lot about the victim who probably needs to move on, but the draft puts this story in her face. She has suffered humiliation, lost her dignity and reading the comments on social networks, she must also accept the judgment of some people who minimize what she has experienced and even blame her in some cases. It is an incredible sadness.
I sincerely hope that the victim can see the sun behind those dark clouds. I also hope that Logan Mailloux will recover from this harsh lesson and become a more emphatic young man, more aware of the significance of the actions one takes in life."
