Four players remaining in the NHL after a major sexual assault case have not been offered contracts by their respective teams.
The four players remaining in the NHL after a major sexual assault case have not been offered contracts by their respective teams.
Philadelphia Flyers goaltender Carter Hart, Calgary Flames forward Dillon Dube, and Michael McLeod and Cal Foote of the New Jersey Devils are free agents and may sign with teams as early as Monday at noon. The athletes each took a paid leave of absence after charges were filed against them in late January.
In 2022, a woman brought forth allegations of sexual assault after a 2018 Hockey Canada fundraising gala in London, Ontario. After the organization settled this lawsuit, further investigation revealed hidden funds allocated to pay any settlements regarding claims of sexual abuse.
According to the lawsuit, the alleged incident occurred in the early morning hours of June 19, 2018. One of the accused met the plaintiff, then 20, at a bar before the two went to Delta Hotel London Armouries.
Court documents reveal that "John Doe #1" invited seven other men into the hotel room to initiate “undisclosed sexual acts, intimidating her and preventing her from leaving.” The woman stated that the men “directed her to take a shower” and prompted to say on video that she was sober.
The next afternoon, London Police received a call from a relative of the survivor. The following investigation was closed shortly thereafter with no charges. However, after the 2022 settlement with Hockey Canada, police reopened the investigation and the charges against the five athletes.
Additionally, the NHL launched its own investigation and promised to release any relevant information. Commissioner Gary Bettman warned in February that any statements “would depend on what the league can say given legal proceedings.”
Hart, McLeod, Foote, Dube, and former NHL player Alex Formenton have each been charged with sexual assault. McLeod is facing an additional charge of being a party to the offense of sexual assault.
Attorneys for all five of the players stated that they are not guilty and will fight the allegations. Formenton, the fifth player charged, has continued his career in Switzerland with the club HC Ambri-Piotta.
For the other athletes, there are currently no restrictions regarding their ability to sign with another team immediately. The NHL and NHL Players’ Association held numerous discussions in recent weeks about “potentially freezing the status of the players until a trial was held,” but could not agree on an appropriate outcome.
London police Chief Thai Truong publically apologized to the survivor in February, expressing regret for the six years it took to charge the players with sexual assault. “The investigation was reviewed in 2022 and because of that review we are here today,” he said.
Authors: Alexis Kabat and Andy Goldwasser
