Dennis Widemans hit on a linesman in January was haunting.
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NHL had never seen one of its players steamroll a ref like that. Seven days
after the incident, the league punished the?Calgary Flames?defenseman with a
rare 20-game suspension.But on March 10, arbitrator James Oldham downgraded that
suspension to just 10 games after being swayed by Widemans novel -- and
medically questionable -- argument: Wideman claimed he was in a concussed state
that kept him from knowing his actions would hurt the official. Call it the
concussion defense.The arbitrator agreed. Oldham wrote, I do not believe that in
his concussed state, Wideman could or should have anticipated that his push
would cause [the linesman] to fall and bang his head against the boards ...On
June 8, the NHL filed a lawsuit to reverse the arbitrators decision. According
to the NHL, the decision cannot stand because the arbitrator exceeded his
authority. Its currently awaiting the NHLPAs response on Widemans behalf, which
is due by Friday.?But the arbitrators decision raises an important question that
goes beyond the NHLs argument: Is the concussion defense legitimate?For those
unfamiliar with Widemans case, the hit was pretty brutal. During the second
period of Calgarys Jan. 27 game against the?Nashville Predators, Wideman took a
nasty -- yet legal -- check into the?boards, which left him holding his head as
he headed for his bench.On his way, the six-foot, 202-pound Flames defenseman
came upon linesman Dennis Henderson, who was skating backward along the boards
in Widemans direction. Suddenly, Wideman raised his stick, cross-checking the
official in the back and violently sending him face-first to the ice, knocking
him unconscious.Henderson suffered a concussion. As of the date the NHL filed
its lawsuit, he still hadnt been cleared to return to work.Wideman later denied
any recollection or intention. He said things were hazy after he was checked and
blamed his actions on a concussion.Wideman isnt the first athlete to blame
violence on head trauma. The defense is popping up in criminal courts across the
country, albeit in cases where defendants are claiming long-term brain trauma
and are accused of committing grave crimes.In January 2012, for example, Jordan
Clemons, a 26-year-old former high school football star argued to a Pennsylvania
jury that a decade of hard hits caused him to lose control and slit his
ex-girlfriends throat. Clemons blamed his violence in part on the numerous head
collisions hed suffered both on and off the field.The jury wasnt moved, however.
He was sentenced to death.Blaming head trauma didnt fare well for Nathaniel
Fujita either. A Massachusetts jury convicted the 20-year-old former high school
wideout in March 2013 for strangling his high school sweetheart. A doctor
retained by Fujitas trial team couldnt convince the jury that repeated on-field
brain injuries contributed to his violent behavior.Massachusetts doesnt have the
death penalty; Fujita got a life sentence.Just this month, former Arkansas and
NFL running back Cedric Cobbs used brain trauma as a defense in federal court.
He faced a maximum of four years in prison for his involvement in an OxyContin
drug ring, but Cobbs received three years probation after convincing the court
that repetitive brain trauma played a roll in his criminality and that hed fare
better with continued treatment.Cobbs case didnt involve violence. And Clemons
and Fujitas cases are different from Widemans in many ways, from the type of
violence committed to the authority dolling out punishment. But most notably,
unlike in those two cases, Wideman claimed his violence came on the heels of a
single concussion rather than after years of repeated head trauma.According to
Dr. Wayne A. Gordon, chief of rehabilitation psychology and neuropsychology at
the Mount Sinai Brain Injury Research Center in New York, the notion that a
concussion could immediately spark a violent attack is simply wrong. Violent
behavior is not a common short-term consequence of a concussion, he said.I see
individuals who are months post- or years post-injury, and, yes, some become
agitated for no reason. They lash out at people. They become more angry, Dr.
Gordon said over the phone from his Manhattan offices. But those are long-term
issues. Theyre not things that emerge immediately.In fact, peer-reviewed medical
research backs Dr. Gordon. The research indicates that agitation, poor emotional
regulation, difficulty exercising physical control -- some of the factors that
could produce violent behavior -- are long-term consequences of concussions.
Nothing indicates that these consequences appear moments after a concussion.The
two neurologists the NHLPA hired for Widemans case -- who had examined Wideman
via FaceTime four days after the hit -- argued otherwise.One of the doctors
testified at Widemans arbitration hearing that the concussed often suffer
impulse-control difficulties in the immediate postconcussion phase. He believed
Wideman couldnt have intended to harm the official because somebody whose brain
is not forming cohesive plans is unable to suppress inappropriate behaviors. The
other neurologist echoed those sentiments, adding little.If widely adopted, this
theory posited by Widemans neurologists -- that bad behavior is an immediate
postconcussion symptom -- could create a slippery slope for athletes.Widemans
defense hinged on the notion that there is a cause-and-effect relationship
between concussions and craze -- that head trauma converts players from being
rational beings with self-restraint into lethal animals without self-control. If
that were the case, concussed players could have to prove that they are not
ticking time bombs post-impact.The concussed could have to persuade their teams
that they wouldnt need to be quarantined, sway their spouses to believe its safe
for them to be alone with their children, or even convince health insurers that
they wouldnt pose a danger to themselves or others such that higher premiums
would be necessary.The concussion defense also could be subject to abuse. A
hockey or perhaps football player could use it as a convenient excuse should
they lash out violently during a game. And such abuse could effectively
undermine the rules of organized sports -- rules that are in place to keep
players safe, encouraging participation.Many potential dangers could come from
allowing concussions to excuse violent behavior like in Widemans case. The
arbitrators decision endorsing the concussion defense could be that catalyst.
Yes, it is just one decision by one arbitrator (who the NHL has since dismissed
for undisclosed reasons). But the decision could be persuasive in other sports
arbitration hearings, which often rely on prior arbitration rulings as
guidance.If the decision stands, it might be just a matter of time before the
defense that helped Wideman avoid a 20-game suspension begins to work to his
detriment and that of other players.Adrienne Lawrence is an attorney with a B.S.
and M.A. in criminal justice, as well as a J.D. from The George Washington
University Law School. She practiced law from 2008 to 2015 before joining ESPN
in August 2015.
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outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury, fresh off winning the World Series with Boston,
reached agreement with the rival New York Yankees on a seven-year contract worth
about $153 million, a person familiar with the negotiations said Tuesday night.
Rueben Randle LSU Jersey .Y. -- Jayna Hefford
scored the winning goal Friday as Canada survived a scare with a 4-3 win over
Sweden at the Four Nations womens hockey tournament.
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. He was followed closely by David Clarkson, donning red, seconds later.
Clarksons actions one night earlier, leaping off the bench in defence of Kessel
during a pre-season game against the Buffalo Sabres, will cost him the first 10
games of the regular season. CHICAGO -- Before the Chicago Cubs completed a
trade for Aroldis Chapman, owner Tom Ricketts and president of baseball
operations Theo Epstein decided they had to hear from the closer himself about a
domestic violence allegation in the offseason.So Ricketts and Epstein asked
Major League Baseball for a window to speak with the left-hander, and they got
him on the phone Monday. When the conversation was over, the blockbuster deal
was on.Chasing their first World Series title since 1908, the Cubs addressed one
of their few weaknesses by sending a pricey package of four players to the New
York Yankees for Chapman, one of the most dominant relievers in the game, but
one who also comes with some risk for a franchise riding a positive wave.This is
a game-changer. Aroldis Chapman is a game-changing-type pitcher in the
postseason, Epstein said. As you sit around and game plan how youre going to win
a big game or how youre going to win a postseason game, it makes it look a lot
easier when you see him there on your lineup card.Chapman is expected to join
the Cubs for Tuesday nights game at the crosstown White Sox.For the Yankees, it
was a rare July trade that saw the best player in the deal leaving New York. But
Chapman is eligible for free agency after this season, New York also has
All-Stars Andrew Miller and Dellin Betances in the bullpen, and its haul
included top shortstop prospect Gleyber Torres, versatile pitcher Adam Warren
and minor league outfielders Billy McKinney and Rashad Crawford.This was an easy
call, and this was the right call, general manager Brian Cashman said. Easy
because we traded from an area of strength and we are excited about the players
that weve received for someone that obviously was only under control for two
more months.The Yankees had won six of eight heading into Monday nights game at
Houston, but they still face long odds of getting to the playoffs. They made the
decision to trade Chapman after his agents said he would not agree to a new
contract that would start in 2017, a person familiar with the talks said. The
person spoke on condition of anonymity because no public statement on those
talks was authorized.If New York slips back any further, it could engage in a
rare sell-off for the franchise. Miller, signed through 2018, also could be
traded. All-Star outfielder Carlos Beltran, first baseman Mark Teixeira and
pitcher Ivan Nova are eligible for free agency after the season and could be
sought by contenders.I think that when the right buy-or-sell circumstance
presents itself, then this department will be making recommendations to
ownership and then they will direct me on what they want, Cashman said.The
28-year-old Chapman went 3-0 with a 2.01 ERA and 20 saves in 31 games for New
York. He threw a 105.1 mph fastball to Baltimores J.J. Hardy last week, matching
the fastest since Major League Baseball began tracking speeds in 2008.With
lefty-batting sluggers Bryce Harper of Washiington and Brandon Belt of San
Francisco possibly looming in the playoffs, the addition of Chapman gives Cubs
manager Joe Maddon one of the majors top assets when in need of a late
strikeout.
Kansas Jayhawks Jerseys. The Cubs have been
playing really good baseball, Chapman said through a translator before he left
Houston to travel to Chicago. I think theyre probably one of the better teams in
both leagues right now. They have a good rhythm right now. Theyre fighting to
get that ring, so it might be a good experience for me to be there.Chapman, who
threw the 62 fastest pitches in the majors last season, was traded from
Cincinnati to New York last December after a deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers
fell through when it was learned Florida police investigated an accusation of
domestic violence involving the Cuban pitcher.Prosecutors declined to file
charges, citing conflicting accounts, and Chapman was suspended for the first 29
games of the season, losing $1,856,557 of his $11,325,000 salary. He was the
first player penalized a finite number of games under Major League Baseballs
domestic violence policy.I regret that I did not exercise better judgment and
for that I am truly sorry, Chapman said Monday in a statement released by the NL
Central-leading Cubs. Looking back, I feel I have learned from this matter and
have grown as a person. My girlfriend and I have worked hard to strengthen our
relationship, to raise our daughter together, and would appreciate the
opportunity to move forward without revisiting an event we consider part of our
past.Epstein said the club thoroughly investigated the situation. But it wasnt
until they spoke with Chapman on Monday that they were ready to complete the
deal.There was genuine sorrow, regret, Epstein said. Hes open about the fact
that hes learned from the incident and that he feels hes grown as a person and
will continue to grow as a person and that was important to us.Asked if the Cubs
spoke with Chapmans girlfriend or someone close to her, Epstein said they took
efforts to make sure they looked at the issue from every possible side.Warren
was drafted by New York and made his major league debut with the Yankees in
2012. He was traded to Chicago in the December deal that moved infielder Starlin
Castro from the Cubs to the Yankees.But the centerpiece of the Yankees package
is the 19-year-old Torres, one of the top infield prospects in baseball.Were
disappointed we swung and missed in our efforts to sign him as an international
free agent back in the 2013 class, but certainly you keep your eyes on players
youve liked in the past and he was definitely a target for us, Cashman
said.---AP Baseball Writer Ronald Blum in New York and AP Sports Writer Kristie
Rieken in Houston contributed to this report.---Jay Cohen can be reached at
http://www.twitter.com/jcohenap
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