Anybody see this, be careful what you say about Brian Burke online?

You cannot make false statements about people. Period. You're free to say he's a jerk and everything that follows, but you can't say something false (like accusing him of cheating on his wife).

I'll note that the site that had a majority of those comments was taken down. I'll also note that Steve Simmons might want to lawyer up.

This was a big to-do over the summer (Simmons airing the "there's rumours all over the hockey world about this") here and of course the mittenstringers going with the "wondering/speculating if MLSE might get rid of him" (as it turns out, Bell/Rogers went that route- the full story never came out, but from Dreger and McKenzie it sounds like Bell and Rogers didn't care for his persona).

He's not the first public figure to do this- PGA Tour professional Phil Mickelson filed a similar lawsuit over comments on a web site that (IIRC) accused him of infidelity over his wife Amy (this was after she was diagnosed with cancer and was undergoing treatment).

I think you can say anything you want hockey related and it's just opinion but mess with his personal life like that it's a step over the line. I think he has every right to do it and I hope he wins. His personal life has nothing to do with his hockey life.

I don't think he's damaging his reputation by doing it. I think he's taking a stand against possibly being wrongly accused and I don't think it's feeding a need for attention. It's protecting his family. It's something that never should have been commented on in the media.

I do have to admit I don't really know much about him other than the basic who he is, etc. so I could be very wrong on a lot of it. On the principal of the thing, I think it's wrong.

Go get 'em Brian. Sue their sorry a55es. Ignoring the rumour won't make it go away. Since MLSE has ordered Burke not to discuss his firing in public this also will put to the end any rumours of the issues. If the defense wish to prove the fact they will have to get MLSE to break the silence otherwise &&&& or get off the pot.

This whole business sounds like something dug up by people that Burke pi55ed off in the past. Maybe like some bespectacled mustachioed fired announcer.

Ah, you have to love the Streisand Effect. The irony being that reputable news outlets couldn't publish that rumor until now. But because Burke has decided to sue they can as the litigation itself is legitimate news, not the rumor.

It's not the first I've heard about it. His lawyers have been threatening bloggers and commentors for some time now. In all honesty, I wouldn't doubt the reason he's suing is because he feels it's unfair to Hazel Mae. Seriously. Pursuing actual litigation makes it seem especially untrue -- or else Burke's opening up a world of trouble for himself. If anything comes out to suggest it's true he'd be seriously on the hook.

Ultimately it'll be dropped, I assume.

Who cares? he built the Leafs and turned them into a truculent and hard nosed team and stocked the cupboards with prospects as he promised back in 2008, 5 year rebuild, mission accomplished. Burke can do and say whatever he wants to, he's proved that he's smarter than a lot of people in this business already, he built the Canucks, Ducks and now the Leafs. Oilers should really get in contact with him.

I got to agree with Jason. The lawsuit has taken the nasty rumors from obscure websites to the CBC. Maybe we will get to see Bell executives and Larry Tanenbaum testify as to exactly why Burke was dismissed.

Pure calumny at it's best. It's why people want to work in the media, so they can do this.

Someone out to get him.

Agreed, wouldn't be news without the lawsuit.

Doesn't he still work for MLSE?

I have no real thoughts other than: lol