[Smooth Pancakes]

Quote: Originally Posted by aholbert32

Its different because 9 yrs wouldve passed and he wouldve faced punishment for it 9 yrs ago. Hogan wouldve had 9 yrs of consequences from his statement. Stone Cold faced his punishment. It was a light one but he plead out, did his probation and his community service. Since then he hasnt had an issue in 11 years. Also, if you think that how people look at domestic violence hasnt changed, I dont know what else to say. 4 yrs go, Erik Walden of the Packers was convicted of DV and was suspended by the NFL for 1 game. Branden Underwood was convicted and served 2 games. Seattle's Leroy Hill didnt even get suspended after a conviction. That all changed after the Rice tape. It went from people being OK with 2-4 games to wanting people fired for domestic violence arrests. Ive never seen it differently but most people do. Thats why 11 yrs ago matters. In 2004, no one batted an eye when they heard that Stone Cold beat his wife. They let the justice system run its course and there were no calls from fans that he should be suspended much less fired. Now, the punishment for DV is seen different and WWE has a zero tolerance policy that means youre fired if you get convicted. Its a different time.

That's the big thing for me. Stone Cold owned up to what he did and faced the justice system like a man, he did his time in probation after pleading out and kept clean since.

Regardless of what some want to think, yes, time does change things. Back in 2004, nobody blinked an eye at domestic violence, as you showed with the NFL examples. Domestic violence didn't get thrown into the public light and become an instant fire crime until the Rice video surfaced and now almost every company on Earth is zero tolerance with domestic violence.

Was WWE wrong to not at least suspend Stone Cold back in 2004? Yes, but he did his time and has moved on. To punish him now by firing him for it would be the same as any company going and firing someone with a DV conviction on their record from 1985 just because DV is a zero tolerance crime now. They faced the legal music already and the fans have chosen to either forgive Stone Cold or just ignore his past crime over these past 11 years.

Hogan is different. Again, despite what some want to believe, just because the tape was recorded and the comments said in 2006 has absolutely zero meaning. They could have been said in 1960 for all anyone cares, but they came into the public light now, in 2015, when comments like those are a career death penalty. Hell, just look at Paula Dean. She admitted to using the word back in 1986 (and was accused of using it still as recently as 2007) and was instantly kicked to the curb by Food Network and her sponsors just for simply admitting she had used it in the past. Hogan is on tape actually SAYING it, repeatedly, and worse.

Aholbert also makes the point that if this had come out back in 2006 and Hogan had just admitted to it, told story, admitted to being in a bad place when he said it, things might be different now, 9 years later. Instead he and his lawyers went full all out to try and HIDE that entire conversation and keep what he said from ever coming to light with his $100 million lawsuit. He didn't just admit to it and own up to it (like Stone Cold did with his DV), he tried his damnedest to hide it and sweep it under the rug and never let the public find out about it by filing $100 million lawsuits and trying to get the courts to seal it up.

That also separates Stone Cold (faced the music for what he did back at the time it happened) and Hogan (tried to intentionally hide the tape and keep what he said from ever coming to light for over 9 years via lawyers and lawsuits rather than facing the music himself back in 2006) in regards to this whole debate.