Artemi Panarin worried about family safety in Russia, rushes back!

The serious accusation has pushed the star forward to leave the Rangers, who support Panarin.

HockeyFeed
HockeyFeed
Published 3 years ago
Artemi Panarin worried about family safety in Russia, rushes back!
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This is getting out of hand. 

New York Rangers’ Artemi Panarin stunned everyone leave of absence from the team on Monday for personal reasons. We know now that’s because he needs to step away for an unspecified amount of time amid allegations in Russia of an assault in 2011 that the player vehemently denies.

A Russian news article on Monday quoted Andrei Nazarov, Panarin’s former KHL coach and a former NHL enforcer, who claimed Panarin struck an 18-year-old girl in Latvia in 2011. He claimed Panarin knocked an 18-year-old Latvian girl to the floor in 2011 with “several powerful blows,” according to a translation of the Russian newspaper story. He then alleged Panarin paid $40,000 (EUR) in cash for the police to “put the brakes on the case.”

While it was first believed that Panarin was stepping away to take the time to prove his innocence, many insiders, including Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, claim that his family’s safety is in danger amidst these allegations. The 29-year-old forward’s family is in Russia and it is believed the reason for his leave is that there is a level of concern about retribution against them based on the allegations made against him. This is how Friedman wrote about it: 

“There’s no feel for how long Panarin might be away, and no desire to pressure him for an answer. His Instagram support for Vladimir Putin rival Alexei Navalny makes him a political target. And undoubtedly, he must be worried about family back in Russia, too. This is bigger than hockey, and the Rangers will be sensitive to that.”

The Rangers are indeed supporting their player as they posted the following statement as soon as the allegation emerged: 

Artemi vehemently and unequivocally denies any and all allegations in this fabricated story,” the Rangers said in a statement Monday. “This clearly is an intimidation tactic being used against him for being outspoken on recent political events. Artemi is obviously shaken and concerned and will take some time away from the team. The Rangers fully support Artemi and will work with him to identify the source of these unfounded allegations.”

Panarin’s teammates have been defending his character and hope his family is safe during this crazy situation. 

We do too. Now one deserves these types of incidents, no matter their political stance. Panarin has been an outspoken critic of Russian president Vladimir Putin. Last month, Panarin posted a photo on his Instagram account supporting Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, with the caption: “Freedom for Navalny.” Navalny has been jailed in Moscow since mid-January despite demands for his release from the European Court of Human Rights.

Source: Sportsnet