View from the Cheap Seats is kind of an extension of the newsroom. Whenever our three regular reporters, Calvin Daniels, Thom Barker and Randy Brenzen are in the building together, it is frequently a site of heated debate. This week: How does Jarret Stoll’s arrest on drug charges affect his status as a role model for Yorkton youth.
Wrong, not bad
In case you haven’t heard, Yorkton’s NHL star Jarret Stoll has recently been arrested for possession of cocaine and MDMA (a purer form of ecstasy) in Las Vegas.
When the news broke many people at first didn’t believe it.
Then, when it broke internationally, people were saddened and disgusted, with all the right in the world to be. Jarret Stoll, Yorkton’s hockey hero, was suddenly vilified and seen as a monster.
But one misdeed (even though it’s a big one) still should not outweigh a lifetime of positive things that Stoll has done for the community of Yorkton.
Sure, drugs are bad and that sets a bad example for Yorkton’s youth. However Stoll has also held a charity golf tournament for many years, donated items to auction at several Yorkton businesses and has even offered his hockey expertise (for free) to many of Yorkton’s up-and-coming hockey players.
He has also continually taken time out of his busy life (even during the NHL playoffs) to address Yorkton’s minor hockey teams. Heck, he even bought breakfast for the UCT Terriers last season while his Kings were in the middle of their first round series.
So yes, Stoll should be held accountable for what he has done.
But does it really make him a bad person?
No. It certainly does not.
- Randy Brenzen
Disappointing
Jarret Stoll arrested in Nevada on drug procession charges came as a bit of a surprise and more of a disappointment.
It is a sad truth that I don’t find a professional athlete ending up in the courts that surprising anymore.
We have seen football players associated with the National Football League arrested for spousal abuse, dog fighting and murder.
The number of baseball players suspended for performance enhancing drugs is long, with the sport so bruised from it the player with the most home runs in the sports history may never be inducted into the sport’s Hall of Fame.
Closer to the hearths of Canadians, we saw an Olympic gold medal striped from 100-metre sprinter Ben Johnson.
And then we get home to Yorkton, where Canadian Football League player, and city native Jordan Matechuk was caught crossing the border from the United States with banned performance enhancing drugs.
So Stoll’s apparent transgression doesn’t warrant being surprised either.
But Stoll’s actions are disappointing. He is now a veteran who you would hope was past the pitfalls of a young man from a small city caught by the pitfalls of California and having a pocket full of cash.
Stoll is 32 now, with a dozen years of pro hockey under his belt, a career which has included a couple of Stanley Cup rings. In any sport it is a career of success, and with that success should come some recognition of responsibility.
Stoll has been a role model to local youngsters, and a sport hero to many adults. That is why he was wanted as a name to host a fundraising golf tournament, and why his picture hoisting the cup is on huge sign in the city.
Matechuk’s visage was one up too because he was set forth as an example of what effort could mean, from local high school football field to the CFL.
So how does a father explain to his young son that the King’s player in the poster in his room was apparently caught with illegal drugs.
And what of the Junior Terriers. Stoll made points in the community footing the bill for some meals when the Junior franchise was at the 2014 Royal Bank Cup.
Apparently that was not the only thing Stoll was spending his NHL earnings on, and the latter is not an example the Terriers should follow.
Some will argue he has not yet been convicted, and that is true. But the tarnish is already upon the reputation, and ultimately Stoll should have been wise enough to be miles away from even the hint of drugs.
And so a hero falls, leaving fathers having to answer the tough questions of their sons, and fans wondering why a player with so much positive in his career would throw it away on a ‘snowy’ night in Vegas.
- Calvin Daniels
No surprise
It does not surprise me that Jarret Stoll was arrested with drugs in Las Vegas. He is young, rich and famous. He lives in Los Angeles and hangs out with a pretty hip crowd.
Obviously nothing has been proved in court, yet, so we don’t know what the whole story is. When it comes to reputation, though, that might not matter. A perusal of social media indicates this is going the way these things usually go. There are the core supporters who will never believe their hero could do something wrong even if he were to come out and admit it.
There are those who have already found him guilty and will be outraged when he gets off with a slap on the wrist. This will almost certainly be the outcome. He will plead guilty to the lesser-included misdemeanor possession, pay a fine and get on with his life and career.
It’s actually probably of greater concern to him right now where he is going to be playing next year. As an aging free agent coming off his worst statistical year ever, in which his team did not make the playoffs, demand may be waning for his services as good as he is at taking faceoffs.
There are also the ostriches, such as the Yorkton Minor Hockey Association, sticking their heads in the sand and calling it a “parenting issue.” That it is, as a matter of fact. There is not a kid in town who does not now know the hometown boy made good has been busted for possession of drugs. These kids will take their cues from the various reactions of parents, friends, media, coaches, teachers and, of course, Facebook.
Finally, there are the rest of us who really don’t care. The guy is an adult; he makes his own choices and lives with the consequences.
- Thom Barker
