At the press conference of his firing in January, Brian Burke made it known why he thought the Toronto Maple Leafs let him go as their general manager.
"We didn't win enough games," he said.
Other rumours, however, have spread throughout the internet on why the Leafs let Burke go. And he has filed a lawsuit with B.C. Supreme Court, stating he was defamed in online comments accusing him of having an extra-marital affair with Rogers SportsNet reporter Hazel Mae.
The online defamation statement is as followed.
"Contrary to popular belief, the reason for Burke's firing was not his willingness to pull off the Roberto Luongo trade" says one of the comments noted in the court documents. "Well it didn't take long for Brian Burke and Hazel Mae to hook up. In the summer of 2012, Sportsnet removed her from the glass desk because she wouldn't fit, insisting that she stand while on air."
"Scandal, you say? Well yessirr......The father could have been any number of worthy candidates, but the lucky dad is, in fact, our very own Brian Burke."
Burke's statement of claim says the online comments, which were published by 18 people, were widely circulated on social media. The defendants are only identified by their Internet pseudonyms. They are acccuessed of spreading false and defamatory statement by various means, including through email, Internet bulletin board postings, Facebook pages and Twitter messages.
Burke's Counsel Peter Gall, of Heenan Blaikie LLP, made a statement shortly the legal action was taken.
"Brian has decided that it is time to stop people who post comments on the Internet from thinking they can fabricate wild stories with impunity," Gall said. "Brian is determined to find the authors of the lie about him and those who have circulated the lie."
"The Internet has provided a great opportunity for the expression of opinions, and has mostly been positive for sports," added Gall. "Unfortunately it also allows a small minority to create false stories about people and circulate them to a wider group. This is not just happening with public personalities - it has also given rise to cyber-bullying."
The statement from Gall is bang on. The internet, no different from nearly everything in life, can be used for good and evil. The defendants in this case are undoubtedly accused of using it for evil - spreading gossip about a man who they likely have never even met.
The lawsuit is believed to be unprecedented. There have been thousands, probably millions, of people defamed on the internet by keyboard warriors; however, as a rule the defamed have dusted the comments under the rug rather than taking legal action.
It is about time keyboard warriors of the world are held accountable for their gossip spread throughout the internet. Despite their clear-cut lack of professionalism, their defamatory comments can have its impact on people's lives and people's views on the defamed.
Nonetheless, it seems it is better to ignore keyboard warriors rather than giving them full-blown media attention. After all, isn't giving people attention that spread gossip or often-outrageous theories on the internet exactly what they want? Not to mention, taking into account their internet usernames such as "POONERMAN" and "SIR PSYCHO SEXY," it seems only the incredibly naïve would take their internet comments with more than a grain of salt.
The court documents say Burke, who is married to CTV News Channel anchor Jennifer Burke, is suing for losses and damages to his reputation. His lawyer is also seeking to have each of the 18 defendants restrained from publishing the statements on the internet.
As for Mae, she is behind Burke's decision to take legal action.
"Hazel Mae fully supports the lawsuit brought forth by Mr. Burke and feels strongly that people should be held accountable for writing and spreading malicious lies over the Internet," said Mae's lawyer Ian Mackinnon to the National Post.
"Ms. Mae is still considering all of her legal options. She will not be commenting further on the matter at this time."
Burke is the former general manager for the Leafs, Anaheim Ducks, Vancouver Canucks, and Hartford Whalers. He is currently a part-time scout with the Ducks.
