Patrick Kane Arrest Centered Around 20-Cent Dispute with Cabbie

What would happen to a star athlete's stature if he were arrested for beating up a cab driver because the cab driver couldn't give him 20 cents in change? If you answered that it would damage his reputation you'd be correct. Well, it's not a made-up story. Patrick Kane, a star player for the Chicago Blackhawks, was arrested for pummeling a cabbie. And the Patrick Kane arrest is causing fans to reformulate their heretofore glowing opinion of him.

What allegedly precipitated the Patrick Kane arrest is this: Patrick Kane, 20, and his cousin, James Kane, 21, paid a cabbie in Buffalo, New York (Patrick Kane's hometown) $15.00 for a $13.00 fare. When the cabbie came up 20 cents short, Patrick Kane and his cousin went ballistic and beat him up. (The police report notes that the cab driver had cuts and bruises on his face and that his glasses were damaged.) And, oh, Patrick Kane and his cousin also took their $15.00 back and bailed.

As a result of this alleged altercation, Patrick Kane was placed under arrest for felony robbery and misdemeanor counts of criminal mischief and theft of services. On Sunday, he pleaded not guilty to all of the charges.

Writer Eamonn Brennan probably speaks for a lot of fans when he says that it was assumed that Patrick Kane was a good guy who would never engage in the aggressive and violent kind of behavior that he is accused of. "We thought Kane was a nice kid. A little brother type," writes Brennan. "That was all we knew of him, and we must now admit that we were wrong. Maybe Kane is a good kid, but we don't know anymore. We don't know."

One thing that Patrick Kane has that works in his favor in terms of redeeming himself (should the charges stick) is his youth. Twenty-year-old guys tend to do stupid things. Young guys like Patrick Kane have a habit of engaging in all manner of youthful indiscretions.

Patrick Kane is the second high-profile athlete to have a public relations issue this week. Over the weekend, incriminating pictures of Texas Ranger Josh Hamilton went viral on the Web. The pictures show a drunk Hamilton engaging in wild and raucous behavior with several young women (none of whom were his wife) at a bar in Tempe, Arizona in January.

He has since admitted that the pictures are authentic and apologized for his abominable behavior at a news conference over the weekend.

Athletes have a special responsibility to act honorably and ethically. And this is because so many impressionable young men and boys look up to them. Thus, when a high-profile athlete engages in obnoxious or criminal behavior, it sends a very dangerous message.

Time will tell whether both Patrick Kane and Josh Hamilton can successfully rehabilitate their tarnished images.

Sources:

Kane You Believe This Guy, Eamonn Brennan, NBC Chicago