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Originally Posted by Ace_O_Spades
Gretzky did just what anyone else would do. He broke no NHL laws, and if he gets a good lawyer, BOOM, the wiretap evidence goes bye-bye... Those get thrown out a large percentage of the time.
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As a criminal defense attorney that has handled a few cases of this nature, I'm not sure what you base the notion that the cases in which someone is wiretapped results in the evidence being thrown out "a large percentage of the time." If you have any studies or stats to support this, I'd like to see it. My research and experience is contra to this--wiretaps are generally admissible when done pursuant to a court order allowing such.
But whether these particular ones would be admissible against Gretzky, his wife and/or others is beside the point. If it's Gretzky's voice and if the tapes have not been altered/edited, then we may well be able to know what he knew and when he knew it. Being involved in illegal gambling--which, by definition, is ILLEGAL for at least the one running the operation, if not the participants as well--is something everyone associated with a sport must be concerned with. The possibility of the bettor getting in debt to the bookie and then having to do something to square up the losses--fixing a game, providing inside information or something of that nature--is just too great for the league officials to overlook.
That's not saying that something of that nature DID happen; I have no idea. But just as an American president needs to behave himself so as not to be in a position to be blackmailed (Nixon and Clinton both come to mind) and thus compromise their ability to govern, athletes that engage in illegal gambling (and even legal betting, to a point) are putting themselves in a very bad spot personally and professionally.