"Well, I was there".

That was Chris Pronger's response when asked if he had seen the new footage of his stomp on Canucks forward Ryan Kesler.

The new footage that ended up landing him an eight-game suspension. 

Until late Thursday, it seemed that Pronger would come away from the incident unscathed, as there wasn't enough evidence to indicate any intention behind his stomp.

Then a better video came out.

If you haven't seen it, Kesler falls to the ice while attempting to finish a check on Pronger. From there, you can clearly see that he makes an attempt to trap Pronger's right leg between his two legs. Pronger, staring down at Kesler's legs the entire time, lifts his leg twice. The first time, Kesler's legs loosen enough for Pronger to disengage from Kesler.

The second?

Well, that would be the infamous stomp. 

Now the argument could be made (if you're a Pronger "Purist") that the second stomp was "accidental," and he was merely trying to get away from Kesler.

But if you watch the video, you see that Kesler clearly releases Pronger's leg after he tries to wriggle out the first time. Pronger is even staring at his own foot as he lifts and drops it onto Kesler's leg.

And for this, he got eight games.

It's not the first time Pronger's been suspended. For every suspension that hockey "experts" have blamed on Pronger's sheer size (possibly the McAmmond hit...I said possibly), he has gone out and slashed, cross-checked, kicked, and even left the bench to attack opponents.

The NHL, however, still gives him preferential treatment. Maybe it's because he's a former MVP and Norris Trophy winner, or because he's been selected to six All-Star games, or because he's an "ambassador for the game."

Whatever the reason, though, Pronger is treated differently.

But let's look at other such "ambassadors." When was the last time you saw LeBron James undercut a player going up for a dunk? When was the last time Tom Brady punted a cornerback square in the groin? When was the last time Ryan Howard, Albert Pujols, or Derek Jeter threw a bat at a pitcher after striking out?

Never.

The reason they don't do these things is because they know what they represent.

Because they live in the spotlight, it's up to them to help create positive headlines for their sports, and to encourage people to come out to games for the sportsmanship, the competition, and the excitement—not the brutish attacks. 

That's why I think Pronger's tenure as an "ambassador of the game" is officially over. Do we really want someone who publicly refuses to play for a city and has been suspended eight times representing a sport that's struggled to stay alive in more than a few markets?

That's like saying that Jose Canseco is an ambassador for fair play across the sporting world.

Still, because of his achievements, Pronger is someone the NHL wants to protect. Chris Simon stomps on Jarkko Ruutu and he's gone for 30 games—and sent to counseling to boot (not to say he didn't need it). Pronger stomps on Ryan Kesler, and he's gone for eight—because he's still pretty-boy Chris Pronger to the NHL hierarchy.

You're currently logged into Facebook

Do you want to share your Bleacher Report activity on Facebook?