An important perspective on the Patrick Kane rape allegations.

It's easy to kick a man when he's down, that's probably one of the reasons you should avoid it.

With seemingly every little detail about the Patrick Kane case causing an uproar among fans on either side of the story, it's sometimes easy to forget that at the core of all of this are two human beings, both of whom may or may not be victims,.

With that in mind writer Rick Morrissey of the Chicago Sun-Times had a very interesting and important perspective on this whole story, one that many fans could learn from. Specifically Morrissey pointed to the absurdity of people jumping to judgment based on Kane's past.

I’m not sure what we expect of Kane, but monastic life seems neither likely nor realistic. If we assume he likes alcohol and women, and if we assume the interest is reciprocal on both counts, how is he supposed to proceed? With a posse of matronly chaperones?

Since the allegation against Kane came out, I’ve been struggling to understand the correlation between it and his previous troubles. In 2009, he was accused of punching a cab driver over a fare dispute. Three years later, photos of him passed out after a day of drinking hit the Internet. What those two incidents have to do with whatever happened in his Hamburg, N.Y., home on Aug. 2 is beyond my understanding.

If Kane has a drinking problem, that’s a different issue altogether. And, yes, I am aware of the adage that nothing good happens in a bar after 2 a.m. But let’s not act as if meeting a woman in a bar is a gateway drug to bigger problems.

If Kane is in trouble, it’s not because he put himself in a bad situation. It’s because he’s a bad guy.

The message here is clear, nothing Kane has done in the past should have any bearing on his guilty or innocence, and it certainly doesn't' excuse those jumping to conclusion about his guilt.

It's also just as important to remember that the female accuser in this case is also deserving of the same respect, her actions prior to the alleged rape have nothing to do with consent at the time of the act, and any presumption of her motives in accusing Kane are disgusting at best.

Again let's remember that there are two people at the heart of this story, two people with friends and families who are likely affected by each nasty comment they see. When it comes to this topic of discussion let's treat both parties in this story, and one another with some respect

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Image courtesy Keystone Press.