The sabres player who killed his teammate Due to girlfriend issue
Over the weekend in Franklin, Tennessee, Nashville Predators forward Austin Watson was charged with domestic assault.
An arrest warrant states that Watson got into a car fight at a gas station with his girlfriend, with whom he had a child in April, over her drinking and her inability to go to a wedding.
The affidavit goes on to say that Watson acknowledged pushing his girlfriend at the scene, and an officer saw red marks on her chest.
Austin Watson, an NHL player for the Nashville Predators, was arrested on a domestic abuse charge.
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2016 saw the NHL and NHLPA introduce a training program on domestic abuse and sexual assault.
After being taken into custody, Watson was released on a $4,500 bond and lodged in the Williamson County Jail.
He is scheduled to appear in Williamson County General Sessions Court the following week.
There isn’t a specific policy on domestic abuse or sexual assault in the NHL at the moment. However, their collective bargaining agreement does contain a provision about general criminal investigation.
According to Section 18-A.5, “the League may suspend the Player pending the League’s formal review and disposition of the matter where the failure to suspend the Player during this period would create a substantial risk of material harm to the legitimate interests and/or reputation of the League.”
Numerous NHL players have allegedly been involved in incidents of domestic and sexual assault, one of them being a former forward for the Nashville Predators. The league has opted not to suspend or fire players in the majority of the recent cases, instead choosing to wait and see.
Michael Ribeiro
A civil lawsuit was filed in 2015 against Mike Ribeiro, the center for the Predators, alleging that the NHL forward had sexually assaulted his former nanny at his McLean, Virginia, home in 2012, not long after he signed a contract with the Washington Capitals.
Later on, the lawsuit was settled by Ribeiro and his wife.
Agent Don Meehan claims that prior to agreeing to a one-year, $1.05 million contract in 2014, Ribeiro informed Predators general manager David Poile about the accusations. Poile stated in the Predators press release announcing the signing that the group had “done our due diligence.”
The team released a statement in March 2015 stating, “We have been made aware of a complaint against Mike Ribeiro, dating back to his playing time while he was in Dallas.” “Mike is ready to mount a fierce defense and has stated that the accusation is baseless. We will refrain from making any more comments and let the legal process proceed.”
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That summer, Ribeiro was once again signed by the Predators to a two-year, $7 million contract. He never skipped a minute of action.
According to Yahoo! Sports, Poile stated the following to media during the 2015 NHL Draft:
Before we signed Mike last year, we worked with him for a long time. He discussed his history as well as his future goals and dedication, both on and off the ice. We did sign him to a one-year contract last July after much deliberation. In the eyes of his teammates, the community, and his family, Mike proved to be a good teammate, a productive player, and a person of character….
In addition, we should highlight our reputation as a morally upright organization that places a strong emphasis on hiring good employees. We have a good history of handling player relations; we’ve suspended two players for off-ice behavior during the playoffs, helped Jordin Tootoo get his life in order by supporting him in the league’s program, and signed players like Rich Clune and Brian McGrattan, who had problems in the past but turned their lives around and were valuable members of our team both on and off the ice.
