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Peterborough Petes' Greg Betzold urges fans to leave accuser alone: 'She deserves nothing but support'
Victim-blaming is so persistent and pervasive that the Peterborough Petes and Greg Betzold have had to take the step of urging the public not to criminally harass his 17-year-old accuser.
On Friday, the Ontario Hockey League forward who has been suspended 15 games for abusive and degrading comments made to a young woman on the Tinder app issued a second apology for his behaviour. The second part of it was to try to talk sense to so-called fans who have made online threats against the young woman who called out the boorish behaviour.
From the Petes website:
"On Monday morning, an excerpt of a conversation I had on Tinder was made public. My language and attitude in that conversation were unacceptable, insulting, and I exercised poor judgment in speaking to an individual in that manner. I am truly sorry to the woman I offended, her family, my own family, the Peterborough Petes, our fans, and the Ontario Hockey League for my insensitive remarks. I am going to use this as an opportunity to reflect on how my words can affect others, and to fully appreciate the standard expected of me as a member of the Peterborough Petes.
"The language I used is a result of an attitude and behavioral issue that I have to change. The Peterborough Petes organization has already arranged for me to receive sensitivity training, and I thank them for working with me to address my mistake. I am fully committed to learning from this situation, becoming a positive member of the community, and a positive example of how to treat others.
"Furthermore, I have become aware that others have contacted the woman I insulted with inappropriate and threatening remarks. I am asking those people to stop this immediately. It was my mistake to use this language, and she deserves nothing but support in this situation.”
That's a true apology, realizing that this started with an "attitude and behavioural issue." There also seems to be an effort to avoid the common fallacy of believing what happens in private is acceptable. That distinction really is eroding in our society.
Jim Devlin, president of the Petes board of directors, added, "it has come to our attention that the young lady that was the target of Greg’s communication has and continues to receive threatening and harassing messages through a variety of platforms. The Petes are pleading with the public to refrain from making negative or threatening comments toward the woman or any other involved parties."
One would hope that, out of this utter embarrassment, the OHL does come up with a better framework for educating players and staff in respecting women. The league is a results-based business but this has hurt its image. At least there has been some acknowledgement the initial reaction — going from 'we're handling it internally' to the players being punished — failed to account for health and welfare of the most affected person. That's not to say a more fulsome and timelier apology would have stopped the online threats against a 17-year-old, but it could not have hurt.
Neate Sager is a writer for Yahoo! Canada Sports. Follow him on Twitter @neatebuzzthenet.
