Back-stabbing Walter Case?

Published: November 18, 2008 01:30 am EST

The issue with Walter Case’s hopeful return to racing is not so much whether he should be driving racehorses, but whether he should be granted a licence to participate in the sport. At the heart of that question is this one: How fussy can we be when determining who is entitled to represent this industry, and who is not?

Frankly, I was shocked to find myself in the minority of SC’s recent web poll, in which 69 percent of you said you would award Case a driver’s licence in your jurisdiction. Really? I hope the commissioners throughout the lands are more discerning.

The licence to compete in any capacity in this sport is a privilege, not a right. I haven’t set eyes on every racing commission licensing form. But, of the ones I have seen, one can easily ascertain that they’re not rolling out the welcome mat for felons. When a sizeable chuck of a commission licensing form is dedicated to inquiries about past criminal offences, I have to assume the regulators actually give some merit to that information.

When you stick a steak knife in a woman’s back, the world approaches you differently. Forever. No one is obligated to grant Case the opportunity to pick up where he left off on the racetrack. How fussy are we entitled to be? I can’t fathom how granting Case a racing licence weeks after his release from prison for such a heinous crime does one iota of good for harness racing.

Have something to say about this? Log in or create an account to post a comment.