I am tired of hearing all this crap about Kurt Busch allegedly assaulting his girlfriend and how she is in fear for her life and the safety of her child. Before we all jump on the hate Kurt Busch wagon because he is an abuser, let me let you in on a few things.
Patricia Driscoll is a political lobbyist. She has the ears of every congress man/woman and every representative in Washington. She used those already in the campaign against Busch when the congress woman from California, Jackie Speier, attempted to influence the situation with Stewart-Haas Racing and NASCAR. She wasn’t the only one who got involved in something which was not a matter of public record until Driscoll made it such and there are a lot of irregularities in her story and her situation.
Driscoll was not afraid for her life, not then and not now. How do I know this? Well for one if she was she would not have manipulated the court system to get custody of her son and then filed the complaint 10 weeks later. If she were truly afraid for herself and her son she certainly wouldn’t have waited another two weeks to file for an order of protection. If she had truly been brutally attacked and slammed face first into a wall with her child in the other room as she claims she would have sought medical attention, she did not.
This step is very important in the progression of obtaining safety for both the victim and the child. This step includes photographs and interviews by medical professionals and law enforcement officials to document the situation and the occurrence. Without this step there is no documentation for a court of law to intervene on her behalf.
Driscoll is very well aware of the procedures required in Domestic Violence situations. Yet she chose not to follow through with them. According to her it was to avoid complicating her custody battle with her ex husband. She was also very well aware that it would bring the situation to a he said she said situation with no documentation.
Driscoll testified before family court with a modified version of her original story on Monday, December 16. She testified that Busch called her to the track (Dover) and when she arrived she found him lying on the floor crying and saying “he wished he had a gun so he could shoot himself”. She had her son stay in the other room as she got him off the floor and calmed down. Then she stated that they were in bed and he suddenly attacked her slamming her face into the wall of the motor coach. At that point she ran out of the coach, leaving her son in the coach with Busch, to a neighboring coach to get help.
To be frank I am personally not sure it happened. Driscoll claims she was attacked by a drunk suicidal, Kurt Busch. However, in my experience, drunk and suicidal people are not attackers. Most lack energy and motivation. She claimed at that point she was in fear for her life. But she waited 10 weeks to file a complaint and then another two weeks to file for an order of protection. She is afraid for her and her sons safety and yet she left him alone in a motor coach with Busch at the point he was apparently the most violent. None of that makes sense unless the objective is to damage Busch’s reputation and destroy his career.
The campaign she has launched against Kurt Busch continued in court when she sought to destroy the relationship with his employer and his teammates. Claiming he stated that Kevin Harvick got all of the good equipment all he had to do was whine. That Busch was upset with owner Tony Stewart for “throwing his career away by killing that kid in New York.” What is the purpose of that? Seriously the only thing she can hope to gain is to alienate him within the race community by linking his past actions to this situation and showing a progression to violence. (However, Busch has never thrown a punch publicly, that I could find documented anywhere.) When she does this she will affectively destroy his career. Granted, Busch his self contributed to his situation within the race community with his past actions.
The bottom line in all this comes down to whether you believe her or not. I don’t, but whether you do or don’t it doesn’t change the fact Domestic Violence is a growing problem in our country and it’s not a closet situation anymore. It’s a very serious problem that ends tragically 60 percent of the time according to statistics published by the United States Attorney General’s office. With the football player being suspended indefinitely and the NFL getting knee deep involved in the situation it has become high profile. Sadly, it doesn’t change the fact that Domestic Violence is a sad and tragic thing. If Ms. Driscoll is manipulating the system, as she has already shown she has no problem doing, then she is as guilty as the abusers.
False reports make it very difficult for those who have truly been victims of abuse. It makes people question whether the situation is what the victim claims it is. It makes it virtually impossible for orders of protection to be issued on the say so of the victim even with photographic proof. Although the order of protection will not protect the victim and that has been proven time and time again, there are cases in which it does. It is a part of the chain of events necessary to proceed in getting the victim help and stopping the abuser.
Whatever, happened here does not need to be dragged through the media circus of NASCAR. The legal system needs to do its job without the politics and influence of outside agencies and political associates. The fans of our sport have been drug through enough dog and pony show antics from the media this year. They have been scarred, alienated and frightened. This situation needs to not be on the front page of every motorsports publication because the reality of the situation is, that like it or not, it is not a public issue just because Busch is a public figure.
- About one in three American women have been physically or sexually abused by a husband or boyfriend at some point in their lives.
- On average, nearly 20 people per minute are victims of physical violence by an intimate partner in the US.
- In 2006, 50 percent of all female murder victims were killed by their husbands or boyfriends. (Federal Bureau of Investigation, 2012)
- One of the most frequent types of abuse in the United States is the use of a child to force compliance. According to Busch, Driscoll brought her son uninvited to his coach so he “could tell him the relationship was over.”
- Driscoll did not file complaint until AFTER she admittedly manipulated the family court to gain custody of her son.
- Pre court testimony Driscoll claimed son was not at the scene. In court she claimed he was present.
- Driscoll had no reason to fear Busch. http://youtu.be/_MAbYIrniY4
- Smear campaign against Busch very similar to what we see done to politicians by opponents during elections.
- Driscoll did not seek medical attention at the time of the assault.
- Driscoll did not seek law enforcement assistance.
- Driscoll did not seek an order of protection until 12 weeks after the supposed attack. During which time Kurt Busch was completing the NASCAR season. Following which he began a racing tour in Europe.
- Driscoll moved her office after the attack to Charlotte, North Carolina. Busch lives in Mooresville, NC, a suburb of Charlotte.
- Driscoll claimed in court to be responsible for Busch’s PR and the rebuilding of his brand. However, NASCAR’s media guide lists Rory Connellan of True Speed Communications as his PR person and contact.
- If you are in need of assistance in a Domestic Violence situation or you know of someone that is The Domestic Violence Hotline is available 24/7 1800 799 SAFE (7233).
Editors Note: Personal attack comments will not be tolerated.
