The Patrick Kane case has been strange from the get-go. There were the allegations that he sexually assaulted a woman in western New York, but charges were dropped when the accuser wouldn’t cooperate with authorities. Then this week the case took a turn when the National Hockey League issued a statement saying the allegations were “unfounded. And it was followed by a Sports Illustrated feature on Kane which has been swathed in controversy for blaming the alleged victim.
Hockey writer Scott Wheeler who is part of SB Nation’s Pension Plan Puppets blog and has had several stories published on various sites was critical of the SI story on Thursday:
Just read entire Kane SI story. It washes over all of his past behaviour, shames the accuser with its language, is void of female voices.
— Scott Wheeler (@scottcwheeler) March 9, 2016
And he continued to criticize how story author S.L. Price wrote the Kane story:
It did everything it could to pity Kane. The space dedicated to the trial was to dismiss the accuser or insincerely fade a flawed person.
— Scott Wheeler (@scottcwheeler) March 9, 2016
As a result, Wheeler said his story that had been accepted by SI had been pulled.
I had a story I've worked months on, and which was accepted, pulled by SI this morning as a result of my comments on their Kane story.
— Scott Wheeler (@scottcwheeler) March 11, 2016
Wheeler then compared how SB Nation handled the Daniel Holtzclaw story to how SI handled the Kane story:
Makes me appreciate the way SB Nation senior staff handled the Daniel Holtzclaw story and criticisms from within. They want to do better.
— Scott Wheeler (@scottcwheeler) March 11, 2016
I will. https://t.co/KNSESL6aHA
— Scott Wheeler (@scottcwheeler) March 11, 2016
Dozens of SB Nation's staff have raised very pointed, strong criticisms of their employer. They've handled it responsibly, with integrity.
— Scott Wheeler (@scottcwheeler) March 11, 2016
Dozens of SB Nation's staff have raised very pointed, strong criticisms of their employer. They've handled it responsibly, with integrity.
— Scott Wheeler (@scottcwheeler) March 11, 2016
UPDATE: A Sports Illustated spokesman has issued the following statement:
The irony is that he came to us several months ago trying to sell a story which we declined. After shopping it around he offered it again to us which we declined to pay for but we agreed to try and find a home for it. Then to publically criticize the editorial integrity of the very company you are trying to sell a story? No thank you.
UPDATE II: Wheeler has disputed the SI statement in another series of tweets seen below, even producing e-mails he says are from SI confirming their interest in publishing his article:
The statement from SI at the end of the Awful Announcing story is a lie. They accepted the story the first time.
— Scott Wheeler (@scottcwheeler) March 11, 2016
To which I respectfully told them I would pitch elsewhere. Pitched to SN Magazine, they didn't have spot for it. Came back to SI.
— Scott Wheeler (@scottcwheeler) March 11, 2016
More recent response: pic.twitter.com/1H1JRPRkOk
— Scott Wheeler (@scottcwheeler) March 11, 2016
And after my comments on Kane: pic.twitter.com/ZOPyUEJSwg
— Scott Wheeler (@scottcwheeler) March 11, 2016
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About Ken Fang
Ken has been covering the sports media in earnest at his own site, Fang's Bites since May 2007 and at Awful Announcing since March 2013.
He provides a unique perspective having been an award-winning radio news reporter in Providence and having worked in local television.
Fang celebrates the four Boston Red Sox World Championships in the 21st Century, but continues to be a long-suffering Cleveland Browns fan.