The KHL shamelessly promoting former NHLer Jake Virtanen amid sexual assault allegations

The investigation into sexual assault allegations directed at former Vancouver Canucks forward Jake Virtanen is still ongoing, even after the former 1st-round draft pick set sail for the KHL earlier this year.

Still, with all of the negative attention surrounding Virtanen, and the possible legal ramifications that could follow, the KHL appears to be promoting the 25-year-old, rather than keeping him away from the spotlight.

On Tuesday, via their official English Twitter account, the KHL shared a couple of Virtanen's highlights, painting him in a glorified light, which is causing some unrest among hockey fans on social media in North America.

The list of women who have accused Virtanen of sexual assault back home in North America is ever-growing.

It certainly seems like a bad PR play by the KHL to approve marketing for a player with a reputation like Virtanen's. Then again, the KHL has done the same with homegrown stars like Slava Voynov, who also has a spotty history, including domestic violence from his time with the Los Angeles Kings.

Innocent until proven guilty is certainly a valid stance to take, but at some point, we as a society must begin to better support the victim(s) - and with the list of women alleging similar acts of sexual predation by Virtanen, it's appearing more and more likely that there is more to this story than just a series of baseless accusations.

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