Per Larry Brooks, Artemi Panarin is taking a leave of absence from the Rangers. This leave of absence comes from a hit piece in Russia saying Panarin “beat up an 18 year old girl” in 2011.
Breaking news: Panarin is taking a leave of absence from NYR in aftermath of political hit piece against him from Russia alleging that he beat up an 18-year-old girl in Russia in 2011.
— Larry Brooks (@NYP_Brooksie) February 22, 2021
Panarin’s support of Vladimir Putin’s political rival Alexei Navalny is not a surprise. Panarin is very vocal in his support for Navalny and his disapproval of Putin. This appears to just be a hit-piece of fabricated news designed to hurt his reputation.
More to come. We hope this is a fabricated story. As for the on-ice Rangers, Artemi Panarin’s leave of absence is going to hit them hard.
Update (11am): I realized I was unclear regarding the leave of absence. That is my fault. It is likely because Panarin has family in Russia and there is some relative fear for their safety.
Update (12pm): The Rangers have released a statement, and it is strongly worded.
— x – New York Rangers (@NYRangers) February 22, 2021
This is a good statement by the Rangers. They nailed the phrasing and the timing.
Update (1:15pm): There is a lot of fact checking the story is unfounded and completely fabricated.
https://twitter.com/aiviskalnins/status/1363909164834127872
https://twitter.com/rdvlsv/status/1363895869825769475
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