There are a million reasons people say "no comment," and it's often not because they have nothing to say. Then maybe he should have said, "No comment" instead of saying "I don't know. You'd have to ask her." That sounds like he's a clueless schmuck that doesn't know what his significant other is doing, and is almost throwing her under the train. Stop assuming guilt just because the feds leaked some unsupported (and, it turned out, dishonest) info on someone. Assuming guilt? Who said he was guilty of anything? And, guilty of what? I never said that. Gretzky hasn't done anything illegal that I know of. I'm commenting on how he looks stupid, basically, because he has to look like he knows nothing about this thing. His wife won't be guilty of anything, either. Tocchet, on the other hand, should not receive any backing at this point from Gretzky, if he indeed does know something, because that guy, playing big-time booky while he's an assistant coach in the NHL, on Gretzky's team, needs to be cut loose. If Wayne was that concerned about his great friend, it may have been a good idea for him to share some of his Mr. Perfect advice and say, "This may not be a good thing for you to get involved in." The fact his wife was seemingly a client makes it hard to believe he didn't have some idea what Tocchet was doing. So, maybe you should read a bit more closely and stop assuming I'm saying Gretzky's guilty of anything except possibly looking the other way and poor judgement. And as for him being in the spotlight 24/7, so what? He's been compensated big-time for this "devotion." Athletes want the spotlight when it's beneficial, financially and otherwise, but think it's going to be turned off when something juicy comes up? Get real. Gretzky, again, is not guilty of anything, to my knowledge. It's his possible refusal to acknowledge what's going on around him that may cost another man his career.
Weedy: Don't you think some of the hits Gretzky is taking are a consequence of his "I don't know, you'd have to ask her" comment when first asked about Janet gambling? Yes, I do - and I think it's totally unfair. When confronted by any criminal investigation involving family members or friends, the less said the better. I mean, your wife and friend are named in a case and you have to field questions from the media - what do you say? Especially considering you just found out. No matter what you say, you know you're going to be dragged into the case in the court of public opinion and likely get hosed. I think you're absolutely damned if you do, damned if you don't. Doubly so when you're as successful and storied as Gretzky. Frankly, the only criticism that I can level at Gretzky throughout this whole thing is that initially when he was saying "you'll have to ask her, I'm not involved" it sounded to me like he was more worried about his professional reputation than his wife (he seemed to be offering her up to the frenzied hordes). I didn't think that fit my impression of a devoted husband - but I was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.
And even after the police fucking fudge the timelines of the wiretap, decide to release ONE name to the media (Janet) and do their damndest to sully his good (and it is good) name And of course we've heard practically nothing about this New Jersey state trooper who's supposed to have been implicated in this. Where is all of our information coming from? Oh, uh, New Jersey police. Sure, sully the biggest names that you can, but pay no attention to one of your own who's involved. I don't know whether or not they're intentionally manipulating public perception of this whole thing, but either way it sucks. "This is big and exciting! We can't tell you details, but that guy and that guy and that famous guy may or may not be involved! Speculate away!" I can't see how that'd help any investigation.
Story of [Wayne] gambling heavily on trips to Las Vegas. Oh my! $1000 a hand! That's not "heavy" gambling for their finances. Based on the same math that rcade did, on my salary, that's the equivalent of me betting a whopping $4 a hand. I couldn't find a seat at the $5/hand tables in Las Vegas last time I visited.
Tell me who didn't see this one coming! The Kings' Jeremy Roenick will meet with his attorneys on the East Coast today and then give an affidavit to New Jersey authorities investigating the NHL gambling scandal, a league source said. Roenick, sources have said, was among the players who placed bets with a nationwide gambling organization run by Phoenix Coyote assistant coach Rick Tocchet and James Harney, a New Jersey state policeman. -- Los Angeles Times
I mean, your wife and friend are named in a case and you have to field questions from the media - what do you say? "No comment." You don't pretend to be unaware of the situation and laugh it off. Some of the backlash from admirers of the Great One here is justified, and I think the wiretap leak was unfair because it didn't reveal the phone call was mere days earlier. But I still think that some of Gretzky's harsh treatment was caused by that dishonest little laugh. It's like Clinton's "I did not have sex with that woman" and Gary Hart's "follow me around." If the media turns their klieg lights on you and for some reason you're not in a position where you can tell the whole truth, shut your piehole.
rcade - as any first year PR trainee will tell you - "No comment" is indeed a comment and the most unacceptable comment going. It's completely self-incriminating. Someone as media literate as Gretzky knew he couldn't possible say that. I think he was damned by circumstance. His wife and his coach were the only ones named in the initial press conference - Tocchet, or course, because he was being indicted. Janet, because it would make waves. Gretzky was completely set up to take heat for this from day one. It's a total snow job. If the media turns their klieg lights on you and for some reason you're not in a position where you can tell the whole truth, shut your piehole. But it appears that he did tell them the whole truth. 1 - didn't know about it. 2 - wasn't involved. 3 - loves and supports his wife. He had zero outs and was drawing dead.
Let he who is without sin build the first glass house.
He had zero outs and was drawing dead. For the poker naive, this means there were no cards that could improve his hand to a winner (zero outs) and was waiting for cards that won't help (drawing dead).
"No comment" is indeed a comment and the most unacceptable comment going. It's completely self-incriminating. "I can't comment on an ongoing investigation" isn't self-incriminating. Gretzky could even borrow one from the White House and find a way to say "I was asked not to comment on an ongoing investigation." The Gretzkys are potential witnesses; neither has been accused of criminal wrongdoing or said to be a target of the investigation. But it appears that he did tell them the whole truth. 1 - didn't know about it. At the time, he did know about it, because he'd been spending time on the phone talking to Tocchet about how his wife could avoid being implicated. It's easy to look at the PR in hindsight, but Gretzky's a multimillionaire who has agents and lawyers. He had warning this was coming of at least a day or two. How could he not get ahead of this story? I think his best course of action would've been to either "no comment" or say what appears to be the truth: "My wife bet on the Super Bowl and a few other events, and she's now a potential witness in a criminal investigation. That's all I can say at this time."
dyams, here's exactly why athletes respond with the same old stupid canned cliches instead of what they may be really thinking: Wayne made exactly one offhand comment in a moment of exhaustion before he understood the magnitude of what was going down, and look at the shitstorm. It's been twisted, misquoted and dissected like it was a track off the frigging White Album. If I was Wayne, I'd be of the opinion that the media has lost the right to hear my opinion on anything non-hockey-related until after all the trials have been completed, and maybe forever.
As long as Wayne is honest to the courts and investigators I couldn't care less what he says to the media. If I was him I would have fun with it. I'd say, "Yeah, I made a bet with my wife, it was which one of you bloodsuckers would be the first to knock on my door. Smithers, release the hounds!" I mean come on, Tocchet is the one facing charges. The press is trying to make money and Gretzky in the headlines sells more than Tocchet.
It's been twisted, misquoted and dissected like it was a track off the frigging White Album. THAT'S a good line!
It's been twisted, misquoted and dissected like it was a track off the frigging White Album Chico your witisizm (is that a word) never fails to impress me. On the topic at hand, I know a lot of people have very hi regard for WG. Hell just reading some of these comments makes him sound like the second coming. Personally I dont know much about the guy. But be it him or the dude that lives in the apartment above me I truly believe in innocent until proven guilty. Having a college friend falsely accused of serving alchohol to minors and the shit he had to go thru, I can sympathise with um...the great one.
