Shut Up and Dribble: Hey, idiots. It’s not a “mistake,” it’s sexual assault

Picking Logan Mailloux in the draft is so horrible it’s hard to find words

SportsElias Grigoriadis — Published July 24, 2021 4 minutes

There’s something about seeing these kids brimming with hope and youthful optimism that’s just so contagious. Here they are, with their whole career ahead of them, going to a new home, a new city, and a new fanbase. A fanbase that will most likely embrace them as their own children.

That’s the fun side of the draft. The optimistic one. Last night, as the first round of the National Hockey League entry draft ended, the Montreal Canadiens made a selection so ridiculous, so disgusting, and so blatantly wrong that it prompts the question: Who the fuck gave this the green light and why do they still have a job?

With the 31st pick, the Habs took defenceman Logan Mailloux from the London Knights in the Ontario Hockey League. If that name sounds familiar, it’s because Mailloux withdrew from the draft earlier this week due to the fact that he was being charged in Sweden for distributing a sexual photo without consent. 

In a statement immediately following the selection, the Canadiens released a statement addressing Mailloux’s “mistake,” and how they plan to guide him on a better path or some shit like that.

“The Canadiens are aware of the situation and by no means minimize the severity of Logan's actions. Logan understands the impact of his actions. His recent public statement is a genuine acknowledgement of his poor behaviour and the first step on his personal journey,” read the statement.

I’m writing this about two hours after hearing the news, and I'm still trying to wrap my head around it. I’m trying to process just how an organization like this one—one that takes pride in carrying itself with the utmost class—turns around and flips off so many people that support the club and have fallen victim to the same kind of abuse.

Don’t get this twisted. This isn’t just some mistake. It’s not some momentary lapse of judgement. This is sexual assault, plain and simple. He willingly showed his teammates explicit pictures he took of a girl without her consent, and he’s supposed to just be rewarded with a contract that pays just shy of a million dollars? Bullshit.

He won’t face any real punishment and instead is getting the deal of a lifetime. Who cares if he’s an elite prospect and would’ve definitely been an early-to-mid first-round pick. If you actually believed in your statement where you acknowledge Mailloux made a “mistake,” Then why isn’t he being punished? A $1,650 fine pales in comparison to the $925,000 he’s going to make after he signs his contract.

Returning to my earlier question: Who the fuck gave this the green light and why do they still have a job? It’s clear with how quickly the statement was released that this was planned. I’m sure a number of teams had considered this option in the previous days and had the same protocols in place, should the decision be made, but nobody pulled the trigger. That is, until General Manager Marc Bergevin appeared on national television to do just that. 

When it comes to the entry draft—especially your first-round pick—everyone in the organization’s front office who’s worth a damn is in the loop. From the ownership to the coaching staff, we as a fanbase deserve to know exactly who went along with this and how everything went down. 

We deserve to know how our beloved club turned into one that not only defends perpetrators of sexual assault but gives them life-changing amounts of money. These people should not get a slap on the wrist—like what Mailloux is getting right now—they should be fired.

All you have to do is look at what this Stanley Cup run did for a city ravaged by the COVID-19 pandemic. It stirred life into an entire province that knew nothing but curfew and misery over the course of months. Then, you give them something to cheer about for this time in nearly 30 years and this is how you repay that enthusiasm?

Shame on you, Marc Bergevin, shame on you Geoff Molson, and shame on you Montreal Canadiens.