TORONTO — Before answering questions from reporters at the annual All-Star Weekend press conference, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman will issue a candid statement about the status of the sexual assault incident at the 2018 Canada World Juniors. I chose.
TSN reports that attorneys representing five players — Devils’ Michael McLeod and Cal Foote, Flyers’ Carter Hart, Flames’ Dillon Dube, and former Senators player Alex Formenton — announced this week that they The client admitted to being charged with sexual assault. On June 18, 2018, he was involved in a mass sexual assault of a woman in a hotel room after the Hockey Canada Gala honoring the junior men’s hockey team’s gold medal win.
All five players were arrested on January 26 and intend to plead not guilty, according to TSN.
His next court date is scheduled for February 5, when London (Ontario) Police are also scheduled to hold a press conference.
The report also reveals that McLeod was charged with second-degree sexual assault for being “a party to the crime.”
All four active NHL players mentioned above, as well as Formenton, who is playing in Europe, were given paid indefinite leave by their respective teams.
Lawyers for the accused players have released statements asserting their client’s innocence, but none of the claims have been tested in court.
“The reason I want to talk about this up front is because I’m going to say everything I think I can say or feel appropriate to say,” Bettman read from a piece of paper Friday afternoon. “I want to be clear: from the moment I first learned of this on May 26, 2022, I have used the words abhorrent, reprehensible, horrific and unacceptable to describe the alleged conduct. We’ve used that phrase repeatedly. It still applies. Given the events of the past week, we think it’s important to provide additional context regarding our process and overall schedule.
“We have committed to, and indeed have begun, launching an external investigation into the 2018 incident. This task was complicated by a number of factors, but most importantly, there are limits to our powers. “The amount of information, the passage of time, and the fact that other investigations, particularly the reopened investigation, were going on at the same time, both at Hockey Canada and the London Police Department.”
Bettman said it took the NHL about 12 months to complete the investigation phase, during which time investigators interviewed every player on Canada’s 2018 team and “other parties willing to participate.” went.
The victim, identified in the lawsuit by his initials EM, refused to participate in the NHL investigation.
Bettman said the NHL had not received advance notice of the impending charges from authorities in London. Despite reports of charges being filed, the NHL had not received official confirmation from authorities in London as of Friday afternoon.
“The most responsible and prudent thing for us to do at this point is to wait for the judicial process to conclude, at which point we will respond as appropriate,” Bettman said.
No charges were filed when the alleged gang sexual assault was first reported to London police in 2018, but four years later the victim filed a lawsuit against Hockey Canada, the Canadian Hockey League and eight unnamed players. He filed a lawsuit for $1,000.
Hockey Canada settled the lawsuit for an undisclosed amount, but an investigation revealed that Hockey Canada was awarded a small sum to settle uninsured liability claims, including allegations of sexual assault and sexual abuse. It was revealed that he had been using a slush fund earmarked from hockey membership fees.
The situation in Canadian hockey was devastating. Its governance and transparency have been mired in scandal, leading to a series of congressional hearings and the freezing or cancellation of funding and sponsorships.
Scott Smith, president and CEO of Hockey Canada, ultimately left the organization in October 2022. The remaining members of the board followed suit and stepped down.
As for the remaining three players named in the original lawsuit, whose names have not been released, Bettman reiterated that the NHL has interviewed all players on that team and said he does not know how the judicial process will play out.
Bettman declined to comment on the results of the NHL’s investigation, saying the league did not release the results because it is still working with the NHL Players Association to determine how best to use the findings going forward. Ta.
Bill Daly, the NHL’s deputy commissioner and chief legal officer, said the league does not intend to release any information while charges are pending.
Bettman cited the fact that all four active NHL players are on leave from their respective teams and are scheduled to become free agents after the 2023-24 season, making it difficult for players to return to the ice during games. “You’ll be surprised,” he said. The case is pending.
That being said, these teams will need to justify their reasons for releasing players who are on vacation.
Asked whether the information coming out of the London police press conference was bad enough to suspend the four players without pay, Bettman said it was a topic that did not need to be discussed at this stage and that they had already been paid. He said most of the payments have been made. Just a yearly salary.
“It’s nothing to worry about,” he added. “The concern is getting this right.”
