Blackhawks now faced with extremely difficult decision on Kane.

The Chicago Blackhawks once again find themselves the focus of the hockey world for all the wrong reasons as superstar Patrick Kane is once again the center of controversy.

This time however the Blackhawks are faced with an extremely difficult decision as a result and regardless of what they decide to do, some fans will be upset. It has become the norm in the post Ray Rice era of North American pro sports to suspend players who are the subject of a criminal investigation, especially when it comes to violence against women and children.

Star running back Adrian Peterson of the Minnesota Vikings was forced to sit an entire season after allegations of child abuse surfaced, and this past season the Los Angeles Kings suspended forward Slava Voynov indefinitely after reports of domestic violence came to light.

Of course there are those who will argue the fact that Patrick Kane is rightfully presumed innocent at this time and therefore should not be facing any kind of discipline. However we live in an era dominated by sponsorship dollars and even being associated with a criminal investigation is now often more than enough reason for teams to immediately suspend players, regardless of guilt or innoncence.

Some are already calling for the the Blackhawks to suspend Kane, David Haugh of the Chicago Tribune believes that the stature of the Hawks organization requires them to led lead by example.

In the post-Ray Rice era of professional sports, a first-class franchise such as the Hawks cannot allow a player facing serious allegations to represent it until more clarity about the case exists. That clarity could come sooner rather than later in Kane's case, but it is missing now.

The thing about setting a standard of excellence as high as the Hawks have is living up to it; no single player, not even a living legend, can compromise that commitment to integrity.

An NHL dressing room is not a courtroom; depriving a player such as Kane the right to skate indefinitely is not the same as depriving him of his freedom. It serves as protection against the possibility Kane's alleged transgressions will further embarrass one of the classiest organizations in pro sports. As a former NFL executive texted me Tuesday: "If Kane was in the NFL, he would not play or practice again until (the) case is settled."

It's a very interesting, and highly controversial debate, one with very strong arguments for both sides, what do you believe is the right move for the Blackhawks as an organization?

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Image courtesy Keystone Press.