The Montreal Gazette's Pat Hickey-He Doesn't Know

Pat Hickey has had a long, solid career as a reporter and columnist dating back to the mid 1960's. He's been sports editor for the Montreal Star and Gazette, a deputy editor with the Toronto Star, a college professor...Hickey also possesses a masters degree in journalism AND a bachelors degree in Chinese history. On Monday evening, December the 12th, the Montreal Gazette sports columnist submitted an article titled "Theo Fleury Hypocritical For Blasting Justice System's Handling Of Graham James Case" on the Gazette web site...With one click of the send button, a long career as a responsible journalist was ruined.
Hickey's disparaging column about Fleury stems from the former NHLers criticism of the justice system allowing sexual predator Graham James to roam the streets while on bail, while awaiting sentencing in February. James and Fleury were co-owners of the Calgary Hitmen when Fleury was still playing in the NHL and before he had come out as a victim of James' sexual abuse while a minor league hockey player coached by James.
Hickey's column painted Fleury as a victim of sexual abuse who failed to speak up until it was too late for many other victims. Hickey called Fleury an enabler...A victim that should have known when the right time was to break his silence...A non deserving "poster child" for sexual abuse victims.
One question Pat forgot to ask of his conscience was...WHO AM I TO JUDGE?

Does anyone have the right to judge how a person handles their personal turmoil...How their secret slowly eats away at their soul...How these victims feel guilt...How these victims become seduced by their victims...How their childhood was taken away...How as an adult, the emptiness lingers. Did you ever once, Pat Hickey, think of the long term effects of abuse victims while you were trying to meet a deadline?

These questions were posed on TSN 990's Mitch Melnick radio program on December the 13th. Hickey was given a chance to explain his mindset and motivation for the column. He kept harping on about Fleury being an unworthy "poster child" for abuse...How he is "grandstanding" to sell books...And that he should have broken his silence as an adult and saved others from being victims of Graham James. Several callers painfully revealed their own struggles as adults after being victims of sexual abuse. That as a child they were threatened into keeping their silence...And the silence remained for years. Hickey was asked why he never researched or thought about these very complex emotions that a victim experiences before writing the column. Pat Hickey and his masters degree in journalism could only summon the words...I DON'T KNOW, I DON'T KNOW. That's right Pat, you don't know.