Flames’ Burke: ‘Unacceptable’ for athletes to bring aggression from sports into personal life

CALGARY – Brian Burke says players who take aggression from the ice into their personal lives don’t deserve to earn pro-athlete wages.

The Calgary Flames’ president was asked at the Global Business Forum how he would have handled the Ray Rice scandal.

Burke calls it a balancing act, saying any form of domestic violence is unacceptable, but citizens are entitled to due process if accused of a crime. However, he says if he had evidence a player had assaulted someone off the ice, he’d have to act. And Burke says if lawsuits arise, so be it.

A recent video showing Rice, a star NFL running back, assaulting his then-fiancee has ignited a debate over how pro sports leagues ought to deal with an athlete’s violent behaviour outside the game.