from Bucky Gleason of the Buffalo News,

My job calls for sharing my opinions. Often, it means taking a position. That’s why they pay me, but we’re not talking about the Bills’ starting quarterback or the Sabres needing a right-handed shooting defenseman. This isn’t about some athlete driving while intoxicated or getting into a barroom brawl. This is a rape allegation.

You want my position? My position is that people need to stop taking positions. They should allow everyone involved to perform their duties with the idea – the mere hope – that facts eventually will emerge and the legal system will work. Nothing good can come from conclusions drawn from speculation and fueled by emotion.

Public assumptions and comments that have been made without people knowing the facts need to cease. It includes SkyBar owner and real-estate developer Mark Croce, whose remarks about not having “skin in the game” and a woman flirting with Kane were way out of line.

So let’s take a deep breath and a step back while the case unfolds.

Two lives have been turned upside down before our eyes. Both could be ruined by the time the case is closed, if they’re not already.

This is no time to rush to judgment, whether you’re a sex-crimes expert or proud owner of a No. 88 jersey. It’s difficult to comprehend Kane would commit such a crime. It’s difficult to comprehend a woman would concoct such an allegation. Perhaps everyone can agree that there will be no winners.

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