Alex Galchenyuk shouldn’t apologize for being a domestic violence victim

It’s embarrassing and wrong that Canadiens forward Alex Galchenyuk had to apologize for being a potential victim of domestic violence

Montreal Canadiens forward Alex Galchenyuk was involved in a domestic dispute on Sunday. The incident ended with his girlfriend being arrested after it was determined that she was the instigator. One would expect that Galchenyuk would be able to do the job that the Canadiens pay him to do without having to address what must be an awful situation for Galchenyuk. Sadly, that wasn’t the case.

Galchenyuk has absolutely nothing to apologize for at this juncture. While it remains to be seen exactly what went on at his home on Sunday, Galchenyuk appears to be the victim due to his girlfriend’s arrest. Even if he wasn’t, Galchenyuk deserves every benefit of the doubt until proven otherwise. His girlfriend deserves the presumption of being innocent until proven guilty, but not to the point that it interferes with Galchenyuk’s presumption of being credible until proven otherwise.

This isn’t the first time this has happened with a domestic violence victim. Ray Rice’s fiancee at the time (now wife) Janay Rice apologized for her role as the victim in a domestic violence case that wound up getting Ray cut from the Baltimore Ravens when was pushed to apologize by the franchise. The victim should never have to apologize for anything in cases like this if they did nothing illegal.

There’s another huge issue with this situation: the Canadiens discredit the severity of the incident by implying that it’s a distraction.

To those who don’t speak French, Canadiens head coach Michel Therrien is referring to the situation as a distraction. It might well be a distraction. However, implying that it is a distraction belittles what happened to Galchenyuk. It puts the victim in a spot where they often feel like they are responsible for what happened. That statement sounds like it was forced from the team. Victims of domestic violence deserve better than that.

Domestic violence is a difficult thing to talk about and to deal with. Victims deserve to be left alone until they want to open up about it. They shouldn’t be blamed for what happened. Sports teams, leagues, and fans all need to exercise precautions when dealing with the issue. The Canadiens (and other teams that have engaged in similar behavior because they are not alone) should be embarrassed by their actions.

If you’d like to help out victims of domestic violence, the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence is an organization that helps victims find their voice and gives them the courage they need. You can donate to them by clicking here.