Hockey player Voinov arrested in the US wants to return to Russia

Hockey player of the National Hockey League (NHL) Los Angeles Kings Vyacheslav Voinov, who is in custody in the United States, through his agent announced his intention to return to Russia with his family, reports Orange County Register.

“I have notified the NHL, the League Players Association and Los Angeles that I will immediately begin the formal process of returning to Russia with my family. “I sincerely apologize to all hockey fans who were affected by the situation involving me, and I also wish the Kings players all the best in the future,” said player agent Rolland Hedges in a statement on behalf of Voynov.

Voluntary deportation leaves Voinov the opportunity to return to the United States in the future with a new visa. In addition, in such cases, the process of moving usually does not take more than a few weeks.

In early July, the hockey player was sentenced to a 90-day prison term on domestic violence charges against her spouse Martha Varlamova. He got out of prison 2 September and was taken into custody United States Immigration and Customs Services (ICE), which seeks to deport an athlete.

Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Kings announced that Voynov’s decision to voluntarily deport him frees the club from having to terminate the player’s contract, which is valid for four more seasons, and pay him the $19 million owed. If Vyacheslav returns to the NHL in the future, the Kings will retain the rights to him.

“We have set a deadline for making a decision on Vyacheslav Voinov on September 17. This is the date when our training camp begins. It was obvious to us that the logical step in this entire process would be to terminate the contract. But today’s statement by the hockey player about his desire to leave the United States makes breaking the contract optional,” the statement reads. club statement.