"Skateless" Wayne Gretzky

[JoeSixPat]

So is Hockey's greatest living icon going to be taken down by this scandal?

Any thoughts?

[IcyPatriot]

I'd like to give him the benefit of the doubt for now. No doubt his wife has a gambling problem and it appears he is either involved or is trying to keep a lid on it to help her....either way...a sad story and a good one for people who think $$$ solves many problems. Janet Jones needs to search her inner soul on this one...the gambling wasn't helping to cure her real problems.

If she was just gambling hopefully the judge will sentence her to community service and treatment. If she was involved...she has tarnished her husbands image forever. If I had to guess I would say she took action to make money to solve her losses...which just fueled her gambling even more.

On a social note states have encouraged gambling like never before to solve budget short-falls. So she essentially could go to jail for not gambling her money away to the state....that's the way I see it for people who are gamblers as opposed to those being involved in the operation.....that is just pure greed.

[JoeSixPat]

It all depends on how deep this goes:

How many pro athletes and coaches were involved in the betting? Were any of them betting on sports in which they could have an influence?

Let's say Mike Vanderjerk were a particpant. Starts off betting on baseball and basketball only, but has a bad run and owes money (that's a big difference between bookies and the state - you can rack up a huge debt without putting money down).

Then all of a sudden Venderjerk finds himself needing a big payoff and conincidentally misses a potential game winning FG.

(just a hypothetical - I know a kicker couldn't count on himself influencing the game but you get the point)

So depending on what Gretzky knew and when he knew it, he could be tied to a major scandal that affects more than just hockey

[PatsWickedPissah]

1st dibs on his wife if things go south