In an exclusive interview with Nicholas J. Cotsonika of Yahoo Sports' NHL blog, Puck Daddy, Los Angeles Kings' defenseman Slava Voynov's defense lawyer, Craig Renetzky, revealed that, based on his investigation, he believes Voynov did not commit a crime and should be reinstated by the league.
"I can't go into details. But based on my interview with the woman involved, it was very clear to me by the end of this interview that Mr. Voynov never hit her," Renetzky told Cotsonika. "I mean, this is a totally different situation, quite frankly, than the [Ray Rice] situation in the NFL. It's not even in the same class."
Voynov was suspended with pay by the league Monday afternoon after allegations of domestic violence surfaced earlier in the day.
Renetzky interviewed Voynov's female accuser for more than an hour on Tuesday, using an interpreter. He claimed a language barrier led to miscommunication between the woman and police.
"You've got to keep in mind the woman was in pain," Renetzky told Yahoo Sports on Wednesday. "She had been injured. She's in a strange environment. They won't let her see her husband. She's surrounded by police that are throwing questions at her. She doesn't understand the language. I mean, that's a very different environment than when you're sitting down in a living room talking to somebody in their own language."
The woman - Voynov's wife - asked police to allow her husband into the room to interpret, but they declined, according to Renetzky.
"She's new to the country. She's a new English speaker. She was under a great deal of pain, a great deal of stress. She repeatedly asked to have Slava come in and interpret, and they didn't allow it."
Renetzky also said that Voynov's version of events was "consistent with hers."
"He did not hit her. He clearly did not hit her."
