Photo credit: Toronto Star
In a recent update, there's been a major development regarding Morgan Rielly's suspension, along with speculation about who might be handling the appeal.
Major Development Regarding Morgan Rielly's Appeal Has Unfolded
Morgan Rielly's surprising 5-game suspension caught many off guard, especially considering his clean record and recent consideration for the Lady Byng trophy. While his crosscheck on Ridly Greig warranted some punishment, the Leafs felt the punishment was excessive.
Now, it's come to light that Brendan Shanahan is personally taking action to challenge the League's decision.
"I think it was Shanahan that requested an in-person hearing because he wanted to go in there and read the riot act back to the league... because they've been sort of on the receiving end of some of these suspensions where it's like, when it comes to Toronto, they're tacking on a couple games to send a message... that's what I've heard, I'm not sure, I'm not going to be an insider...."
"Is this one of the worst suspensions, most egregious offences this year? I don't know if it's anywhere close, I can see them understanding like you know what we'll give you three or four games, we're talking about 5 plus, some people talking about throwing him out of the league... there was no injury. Yes it was a revenge play, but he had time to protect himself so yes, I'd rather him drop the gloves and punch him in the face but what if you knocked him out? We'd be talking about a whole different thing."
"Is this one of the worst suspensions, most egregious offences this year? I don't know if it's anywhere close, I can see them understanding like you know what we'll give you three or four games, we're talking about 5 plus, some people talking about throwing him out of the league... there was no injury. Yes it was a revenge play, but he had time to protect himself so yes, I'd rather him drop the gloves and punch him in the face but what if you knocked him out? We'd be talking about a whole different thing."
It seems like no matter what Rielly did in response to the play, he would have faced criticism. Doing nothing would've labeled the Leafs as soft, while his crosscheck was seen as going too far.
The outcome of Rielly's appeal and Shanahan's involvement in potentially reducing the suspension remains to be seen.
Stay tuned for more..
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