Sexual assault allegation against former Blackhawks coach

[Knut]

https://www.wbez.org/stories/a-chica...1-f3f099f86371

An unidentified former Chicago Blackhawks player has sued the National Hockey League franchise, alleging that he and another teammate were sexually assaulted by an assistant coach before the team’s 2010 Stanley Cup victory.

The lawsuit filed late last week in Cook County Circuit Court was brought by a player identified only as “John Doe” and accuses the team of ignoring his claims against the assistant coach, who went on to be convicted of a sex crime involving a student in Michigan and is now a registered sex offender in that state.

Pretty serious allegations here.

[TheScorpion]

Oh my goodness. That's horrible.

[Geeoff]

The power dynamic of coach/player and the overall "tough it out" culture of sports really makes it easy for these ####ing creeps to get away with this for a long time.

[Strange Brew]

whoa. This is a nuclear accusation against a major sports franchise.

[Wood]

Here's an article about the incident in Michigan that got Brad Aldrich on the sex offender list:

https://abc10up.com/2014/02/13/forme...nduct-student/

[Reggie Dunlop]

I'd suggest avoiding speculation on who the alleged victim might be.

[ben voyonsdonc]

The Blackhawks really could have left this part out of their statement: “Based on our investigation, we believe the allegations against the organization lack merit and we are confident the team will be absolved of any wrongdoing.”

It would have been better if they had just said:


“The Chicago Blackhawks take the allegations asserted by a former player very seriously. As this is a pending litigation matter, it would be inappropriate for us to comment further.”

[cam_wmh]

“This entire man’s life has been destroyed,” she said. “I mean, he was not able to function within the NHL context and…this has really ruined…his professional career. These professional athletes have to function at the top of their game at all times in order to be competitive, and these things are really debilitating.”

I'm surprised at such a low valuation. I would've put it at closer to $1m.

The player is represented by Chicago lawyer Susan Loggans, who said her client has had his life ruined by the episode and is seeking damages from the team in excess of $150,000.

[Jacks]

Pretty bad on the team for ignoring it if the allegations are true.

If the incident took place in 2010 wouldn't that be long past the statute of limitations?

[GordonBlue]

Originally Posted by Jacks

Pretty bad on the team for ignoring it if the allegations are true.

If the incident took place in 2010 wouldn't that be long past the statute of limitations?

I don't think the USA has a statute of limitations for sexual assault, but it likely goes on a state by state basis.
look at all the cases that have come up in the past few years.

wonder if it was younger guys that were callups and were mostly in the press box. They kept quiet as they didn't want to risk their chance in the NHL now that they were so close.
can't see him getting away with it for an older established player.

from the article, the Hawks could be in big trouble if the allegations about the team, especially the mental skills coach, are true.

Wonder what sanctions the league could take against the team if it's all true and the team ignored and dismissed the claim of the player.

[Scroopy Noopers]

Originally Posted by ben voyonsdonc

The Blackhawks really could have left this part out of their statement: “Based on our investigation, we believe the allegations against the organization lack merit and we are confident the team will be absolved of any wrongdoing.”

It would have been better if they had just said:


“The Chicago Blackhawks take the allegations asserted by a former player very seriously. As this is a pending litigation matter, it would be inappropriate for us to comment further.”

Seriously how easy is it to get a PR job in the NHL??? Who do these teams hire?

[PaperBagger'14]

Originally Posted by Scroopy Noopers

Seriously how easy is it to get a PR job in the NHL??? Who do these teams hire?

George Parros

[MRCboicgy]

Originally Posted by PaperBagger'14

George Parros

Kevin Lowe

[The Cobra]

Originally Posted by ben voyonsdonc

The Blackhawks really could have left this part out of their statement: “Based on our investigation, we believe the allegations against the organization lack merit and we are confident the team will be absolved of any wrongdoing.”

It would have been better if they had just said:


“The Chicago Blackhawks take the allegations asserted by a former player very seriously. As this is a pending litigation matter, it would be inappropriate for us to comment further.”

I hear what you are saying, but these are allegations directly against the team, not allegations by the player against the coach. When someone is suing you, I'm less certain you need to acknowledge that the accusations against you are being taken very seriously, as it could be construed as an admission of liability. It's the allegations of the player vs. the coach that can and should be acknowledged as being taken very seriously.

It might have been best if they simply said nothing, and if pressed, simply say that it is inappropriate for them to comment on any pending litigation matter.

[The Cobra]

Originally Posted by Scroopy Noopers

Seriously how easy is it to get a PR job in the NHL??? Who do these teams hire?

This statement would have been vetted by their lawyers, not a PR person.

[Scroopy Noopers]

Originally Posted by The Cobra

This statement would have been vetted by their lawyers, not a PR person.

…….. of course.

Their business is marketing, it’s dumb and wasn’t necessary to cover any legality.

[Oling_Roachinen]

The lawsuit alleged that before the player sought counseling from Gary, the team was “made aware that the same team employee had sexually assaulted a teammate” of the player.

After the alleged assault, Loggans said her client also took his complaint to the National Hockey League Players’ Association but got no reaction.

“Nothing happened. Nothing,” she said.

Assuming it took place, hopefully someone else is able to come up and collaborate the story for John Doe. Obviously seems about as poorly as it could have been handled at the time but maybe someone from the team or NHLPA will back him up now.

Also completely #### the Blackhawks if they indeed had been told that the coach was sexually assaulting players and kept him.

[FlamesAddiction]

Originally Posted by Oling_Roachinen

Assuming it took place, hopefully someone else is able to come up and collaborate the story for John Doe. Obviously seems about as poorly as it could have been handled at the time but maybe someone from the team or NHLPA will back him up now.

Also completely #### the Blackhawks if they indeed had been told that the coach was sexually assaulting players and kept him.

According to hockeydb, he only worked for them as a video coach from 2009 to 2010, so for whatever reason, they didn't keep him.

[Oling_Roachinen]

Originally Posted by FlamesAddiction

According to hockeydb, he only worked for them as a video coach from 2009 to 2010, so for whatever reason, they didn't keep him.

If the lawsuit is correct, they kept him on AFTER he had already assaulted a different player and were aware of it. So yes, again if true, they kept him on allowing him to sexually assault this player.

[tkflames]

Originally Posted by cam_wmh

I'm surprised at such a low valuation. I would've put it at closer to $1m.

Agreed...who is this person's lawyer....even at league minimum that works out to like a career cut short by 10-15 games...even if this was an AHLer...there is an arguement to be made that this changes the trajectory.