It's easy to not take responsibility. That is the only explanation I have for a talented player like Alex Leavitt doing what he did last week. I don't admit to knowing the whole story and frankly, I don't want to know the whole story. I already know too much of the story because of what Leavitt told an alleged \journalist"" at one of Madison's two inferior daily and non-student newspapers.
The matter Leavitt confessed to the reporter last week occurred in November in Grand Forks, N.D. The fact that he came forward with this news in the month of February while he was on a three-game suspension is nothing but suspect.
Could it be that--gasp--Alex Leavitt was upset about not being on the ice during his suspension and that--gasp--he could make life difficult for his head coach, Mike Eaves, if he told a journalist all this ""bad stuff"" that happened to him on a road trip to Grand Forks.
Leavitt was suspended for taking a cheap and unintelligent penalty, late in a game against Alaska-Anchorage. Along with Leavitt, known UW enforcer Erik Jensen was suspended three games for taking a cheap penalty as well.
Jensen actually did something productive his first weekend back from suspension. He went out and notched an assist, a goal and no penalty minutes.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Leavitt was crying on the shoulder of one of Madison's ""best journalists."" I really can't decide who I should be more disappointed with, Leavitt or the newspapers that printed his confession. The Capital Times and the Wisconsin State Journal both reported pieces on the ""incident.""
After that it was merely a matter of time before the student presses got blood on their hands and printed articles on the subject.
As a hockey player on scholarship to one of the finest public universities in the country, Leavitt had an obligation to his team, his coach and, most importantly, to himself to not report an incident like this to the press.
Instead, Leavitt should have settled the matter with a degree of dignity and kept the issue a private matter.
As a journalist, the reporter from the Wisconsin State Journal had an obligation to know not to print a story with quotes acting the role of judge and jury, with the readers left to be the executioner.
What I hope is not taken from this piece is the fact that I'm at all optimistic or confused about what happens behind closed Athletics Department doors.
Please, don't confuse my haranguing of Leavitt and Madison newspapers as a defense of Eaves or any Athletic Department official.
I think what Mike Eaves did was unnecessary and boorish. Just as I think that what Alex Leavitt did was unintelligent and selfish. Just as I think the coverage from the journalist who broke the story was ego-driven and bordering on sensationalist journalism, not investigative journalism.
Like I said, it's easy to not take responsibility.
