You couldn’t be blamed for mistaking it for a plot from a cheesy 80’s spy thriller. A star Russian player is confronted by a shady figure from his past. Allegations are made to discredit the star, and counter claims that it’s a setup based on political ideologies with ties all the way to the top of the Kremlin itself! You can almost picture those words printed on the back of a DVD case at Blockbuster (read: “Old Version of Netflix” for Gen Z readers).
In this case however, it’s very real, and has even resulted in Artemi Panarin (star winger for the New York Rangers) taking a leave of absence from the team until the matter is resolved. Panarin would be far from the first athlete accused of doing something unscrupulous and trying to bury it in the past (whether the allegations have any merit or not is an entirely different story). But his reaction to immediately distance himself from the team indicates that there’s more going on here than your traditional shakedown.
Here is what we know so far:
-Within the last few days a Russian newspaper published quotes from Panarin’s former KHL coach Andrei Nazarov alleging that the winger got into a physical altercation with an 18 year old woman in Latvia in 2011.
-Nazarov also stated that although a criminal case had been opened against Panarin, someone paid “40k Euro cash [sic]” to make it go away (though he didn’t specify who that person was).
-The timing of these allegations comes on the heels of Panarin showing support for Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny on Instagram last month.
It isn’t often you see players with the star power of Panarin speak out against Putin or his decisions. In fact, the internet is littered with images of players like Ovechkin, Kovalchuk, Tretiak and others in chummy positions with the Russian President (whether they actually support him or are being “good soldiers” remains to be seen). Artemi however has been unwavering in his criticism of Putin, stemming all the way back to a 2019 interview he did where he openly questioned the President’s economic policies.
Which is why the sudden emergence of Nazarov (a former coach, not the victim in question) wanting to air Panarin’s dirty laundry leads many to believe that the report is politically motivated in nature. Further complicating things, is Panarin’s immediate leave of absence from the team, making you wonder whether there’s more to the story than meets the eye.
Normally in situations like this, you get a statement from the athlete, a statement from the team, and in some cases one from the league itself which follows the same script almost verbatim:
“We take these allegations very seriously. The ____________ does not condone violence against __________ and we expect our players to meet the high standards we have set out for them. We are currently gathering evidence, and have no further comment at this time.”
From there, either a suspension is issued down the line (if the evidence starts piling up against the athlete) or the source is discredited. All the while, the accused usually continues playing, fields a few questions about the event, to which they always respond “no comment” and the world keeps spinning.
However, for the athlete to voluntarily distance themselves from their teammates (who are usually a source of support in times like these) is almost unprecedented. It almost makes you wonder whether Panarin’s team knows more than they’re letting on, or whether he may even fear for his safety at this point.
It wouldn’t be the first time a high profile athlete drew the ire of a foreign government. Not that long ago NBA player Enes Kanter was public enemy number 1 to Turkey’s government following his criticism of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Turkish officials even went as far as revoking his passport in 2017 and accusing Enes and several of his family members of being terrorists.
Yet in spite of the statements of support from both the Rangers and his current coaches, Panarin still felt the need to remove himself in the midst of this already shortened NHL season. KHL reporter Igor Eronko recently came out and said “Shouldn’t be in that [sic] but the Vityaz players who were with Artemi Panarin in Riga that night say the reports are absolutely false”. Various other outlets have also condemned the reports as frivolous and manufactured as well. But it does give you pause whenever Russia is involved, that this may be more than just an individual smear campaign launched out of greed or pettiness.
Why now, nearly 10 years after the alleged incident does this come to light? What does Nazarov have to gain by revisiting a post hockey night on the town in Latvia a decade ago? He’s not suing for damages, he’s not advocating on behalf of the victim. Are we to believe that he’s trying to “clear his conscience” or is something more sinister afoot?
All of these are valid questions which, unfortunately due to the secrecy around the Kremlin, we may never find the answers to. One thing for certain though, is that whatever is going on behind the scenes is obviously enough to spook Panarin’s camp. And perhaps that was the intended message all along.
-Kyle Skinner
Twitter: @dynessports