There are several reports from Great Britain that a man has been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter in the death of pro hockey player Adam Johnson.
South Yorkshire Police announced the arrest earlier Tuesday. Police been investigating Johnson's death after his throat was slashed by the skate of an opposing player on October 28 in the UK.
Twin Cities defense attorney Jack Rice, who is not associated with the case, says the implications of the arrest could be far reaching.
"We think about injuries, and we think about accidents, and we think about the nature and the carnage some professional sports are," says Rice. "Will this impact NHL Hockey, could this impact football, could this impact soccer? All sorts of questions are being asked."
Rice adds it remains to be seen what will happen but the impact could be far-reaching.
"We've seen a hesitation in terms of the willingness of authorities to sort of step on the field saying, 'look, you kind of agreed to this so it's kind of hard to say otherwise.' And yet, apparently what they decided in this case is the behavior on the ice was so egregious, that it rose to the level, in this case, of manslaughter," Rice explains.
The 29-year old Johnson is from Hibbing and played two-years at Minnesota-Duluth. He was drafted by the National Hockey League's Pittsburgh Penguins and then began playing in Europe.
He died October 28 after a skate slashed his throat in a collision during a match against Sheffield Steelers.
In a statement, Detective Chief Superintendent Becs Horsfall for the South Yorkshire Police says:
“Our investigation launched immediately following this tragedy and we have been carrying out extensive enquiries ever since to piece together the events which led to the loss of Adam in these unprecedented circumstances.
We have been speaking to highly specialised experts in their field to assist in our enquiries and continue to work closely with the health and safety department at Sheffield City Council, which is supporting our ongoing investigation.
Adam’s death has sent shockwaves through many communities, from our local residents here in Sheffield to ice hockey fans across the world. We know these communities will expect us to handle this investigation with the same professionalism, fairness and sensitivity as any other and request that members of the public refrain from comment and speculation which could hinder this process. Our thoughts remain with all affected by this devastating incident as enquiries continue.”