Golden Knights defenseman Nate Schmidt speaks during NHL hockey media day for the Stanley Cup Final at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Sunday, May 27, 2018. Chase Stevens Las Vegas Review-Journal @csstevensphoto
Nate Schmidt issued a 375-word statement Sunday in response to his being suspended by the NHL for 20 games, a result of the Golden Knights defenseman violating the league’s performance-enhancing drug policy.
In it, he offered this: “I will not accept being labelled a cheater.”
Maybe so, but it’s not up to him now.
When it comes to how others view Schmidt for testing positive and then losing an appeal in front of an impartial arbitrator, he is officially at the mercy of the same court of public opinion that has for decades judged those athletes suspended within a sport’s drug program.