The right thing

Good on Gord Simmonds, owner of the Belleville Bulls:

At the beginning of the 2009-2010 OHL season, Bulls announced -- with Williams in attendance at the press conference -- that the current campaign would be dedicated to 8 Wing. Saturday's event, which includes the Bulls wearing camoflauge jerseys to be auctioned off following the game, was scheduled months in advance.

On Monday, a Bulls official said it was all systems go for Saturday's salute to the military, suggesting it would be unfair to punish members of the Armed Forces at large for the alleged misdeeds of one of its members.

On Monday night, Bulls owner Gord Simmonds told The Intelligencer the team was extremely aware of and sensitive to the delicate nature of the timing of Saturday's event in the aftermath of Williams' arrest.

On Tuesday, Simmonds said the club would "go forward" with the event.

"We really wanted to make sure we were sensitive to what was going on and today we found things encouraging for going forward," said Simmonds. "I have no training in crisis management, but we get the feeling that this recognition of our military families is important right now. At the start of the season we were thinking of Afghanistan, then it was Haiti and now this recent crisis.

"We just felt like we should take a little time to process it."

The Faceoff For Forces promotion is intended to salute members of the Canadian Armed Forces serving here and abroad, and raise funds for the Military Family Resource Centre (MFRC) which provides assistance to the families of military personnel who have been wounded or killed in the line of duty.

Bravo Zulu to all those involved for setting aside political correctness and fear of putting a foot wrong, and going ahead with this fundraising and supportive event despite the obvious complications.