ok so here's my current takeaway on the robin lehner allegations
1. Drew Wheeler's specific allegations against the flyers org are separate from Lehner's tweets. they should not be lumped in together
2. Wheeler retracting his tweet could be the result of three different scenarios: a. He knowingly made a false claim b. He made a claim he believed to be true, and retracted the tweet when evidence was brought to him that disproved it c. He made a claim he believes to be true, and retracted the tweet when threats of legal action were made against him
there is no possible way at this time for any of us to know which situation is the truth.
3. Nolan Patrick is under no obligation to make a statement of any kind. His name was brought into this, as far as we know, without his knowledge or consent.
4. The abuse of pain medication in professional sports has a long and documented history. To immediately dismiss Lehner's claims is naive at best and actively malicious at worst. You do not need to uncritically support Lehner's specific allegations in order to have a conversation on this issue.
5. The flyers org, and Vigneault's statements are not in and of themselves evidence that disproves the original claims. They are a denial of those claims. They could be valid, or not, and once again we have no way of knowing at this time.
6. Lehner is a controversial figure for many. You do not need to support statements he has made on other subjects in order to engage with this specific conversation.
7. Lehner's diagnoses of bipolar disorder is irrelevant. Claiming that anything said by someone with a mental illness is inherently untrustworthy or more likely to be false is both inaccurate and harmful. do not contribute to ableist bullshit.
