'Not an act of domestic violence': Austin Watson's girlfriend releases statement

Two days after an arbitrator ruled in his favour and reduced his 27-game suspension to 18, Austin Watson’s girlfriend and the mother of his daughter, Jenn Gaurdino, released a statement saying that the incident that resulted in Watson pleading no contest to a domestic assault charge was “not an act of domestic violence.”

Gaurdino stated that Watson “has never and would never hit or abuse” her, and attributed the incident to her struggles with alcoholism.

Here’s the full statement, via Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman:

While reportedly “furious,” in its official statement the NHL said it was “disappointed” in the decision to trim down the length of the suspension. It stated that an arbitrator’s judgement shouldn’t hold more weight than the commissioner’s — particularly in matters of league policy and standards of conduct.

“We will not hesitate to adhere to and enforce — through firm discipline as necessary — the standards of personal conduct we feel are appropriate for our league,” the NHL stated.

To enforce these standards, though, the NHL will need to implement the detailed and firm policy on domestic violence that it is currently without. It’s an issue that must be brought to the forefront during the next round of collective bargaining.

Because the NHLPA has no choice but to put the players’ best interests forward and defend them within the conditions of the CBA, and as long as the NHL and NHLPA are willing to accept an arbitrator’s rule, the NHL’s ability to take an adequate and professional stance on domestic violence will remain far too easily undermined.

Without a policy that can suspend players and terminate contracts without interference, and one that would include measures to assist employees and their families, the NHL will continue to lag behind the rest of the major professional sports leagues in its handling of a significant societal issue.

And with several instances now over the last few years, the NHL has absolutely no excuse to fall further behind.

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