Also playing more than just a passing role are the failure of the Missoula Police Department to effectively investigate (not in all cases), the failure of the Missoula County Attorney's Office to properly prosecute, the failure of the Grizzly coaching staff and university officials (again, not in all cases) to follow through when presented with accusations and evidence, and the unwillingness of residents and fans of the football team to even conceive of their beloved Grizzlies perpetrating such crimes.

But also at the core of the book is how rape victims become victims all over again during the investigation and the court cases (if they ever go to trial at all) and even after the verdicts are read. Rape is, Krakauer asserts, the one crime where the accused are viewed as innocent until proven guilty and the victims are readily deemed guilty in the court of public opinion. Basically, no one wants to believe a rape victim. Especially when it harms something that they hold dear, in this case, the Grizzly football team.

I noted in my Goodreads review that this book is at the same time the most difficult and the most important book I feel I've ever read.

But despite this declaration, I never felt fully invested because I'd never been part of a situation such as this (of which I am aware).

I'm sure most college campuses have their fair share of rapes committed. Most never get reported or get swept under the rugs of secrecy. I don't think I ever heard anything about a rape on the campus of NIU when I was there and, if there was a report, it was probably just a tiny little mention in the campus paper and that's about it.

Last week, however, one such case did erupt but on a much bigger scale. Patrick Kane, superstar right wing for my beloved Chicago Blackhawks was announced as being under investigation by the Hamburg (NY) Police Department for rape of a woman he met at a bar in Buffalo.

Kane was at this bar and was drinking and there was a woman who witnesses say was being flirtatious with him. She went to his home along with other people, although I'm not currently certain if those "other people" are his friends, her friends, or some combination thereof. He followed her into a bedroom and at some point forced himself on her and she's got scratch and bite marks as a result of the attack.

As a Blackhawks fan, I found myself not wanting to believe the accusations. A lot of Blackhawks fans are in stunned disbelief even as more evidence comes to light such as the bite marks that can easily be tested for DNA or imprints or the like. And I'm not just talking male Blackhawks fans either. Female fans were quick to jump to his defense.

That's when I realized that I'm being no better than the UMT fans who defended their Grizzlies even after some were found guilty of the crimes they were accused of committing. I was more willing to believe that Kane would never do such a thing despite having no knowledge of the case, of the accuser, or of who Kane truly is.

That's when I read this article from AM 670 The Score personality Tim Baffoe titled "Patrick Kane Is Not Your Friend." In it, Baffoe asserts that we need to stop our culture of hero worship and defense when we don't know the truth. We need to stop acting like Kane is our "bro" (Baffoe's word choice) and face up to the fact that even if Kane didn't do this, something happened. Only Kane and his accuser will ever know the truth, but no matter what, something happened and we need to stop pretending it didn't.

He's right. Sure, it's easy to conceive that someone would try to take advantage of the fact that they just met a guy who has won three Stanley Cups in six years and is about to start a new eight-year, $84 million dollar contract and cash in on it. But considering the volatility of rape accusations and the likelihood that her identity will leak and her life will be in upheaval as a result, do you really think she is faking that charge?

Sadly... I don't.

Yes, I believe in "innocent until proven guilty." But that defense is dangerous. Especially if you hide so deeply behind it that you refuse to the see the truth even when it's staring at you in your face.

I'm truly appreciative of everything Kane has done for Chicago. But we're talking about a guy who has had run-ins with the law three times during his professional playing career. He is renowned as a playboy and, for a while, if there wasn't a negative mention of him in the press, we wondered what was wrong.

Sure, he appeared to have cleaned up his act and, for the last few years, has come across as more mature in public. But appearances aren't everything. It's possible he has just become a really good actor. After all, wasn't it Kane who was quoted as saying, "I know you said I’ve been growing up, but watch out for me the next week!" during the Stanley Cup rally in June? Some maturity, eh?

No matter what, this is not going to end well.

If he's found guilty, well...

If he's found not guilty (in addition to that not exactly being the same as "innocent"), that stigma is going to follow him everywhere for the rest of his life.

I hope for his sake, and his sake alone, that Kane didn't do this awful thing of which he is accused. But I'm also not going to blindly defend him. That's just stupid.

What should the Blackhawks do? I have ideas. But those ideas are not the point of this post. This is about rape. And the next year or so is going to be very, very ugly.

Baffoe wrote a follow-up article that I feel is also mandatory reading - "Don't Contribute To The Cult Of Patrick Kane." Brutal honesty, but sometimes brutal is what's needed.

Oh, and yes, this is the post I mentioned yesterday.