Assault claims roil Iditarod sled dog race as 2 top mushers are disqualified, then 1 reinstated

ANKERAGE, Alaska — Claims of violence against women are roiling the world’s most famous sled dog race – Alaska’s Iditarod – with officials disqualifying two top mushers this week and then quickly reinstating one of them on Friday, days before the start.

The unrest began last week, when the Iditarod Trail Committee, the race’s governing body, sent an email to all participants stating that it had been made aware of several allegations of violence and abuse against women within the mushing community .

“The ITC board cannot tolerate such behavior from anyone associated with the Iditarod,” the email said.

On Monday, the committee held an emergency meeting and disqualified the 2023 Rookie of the Year, Eddie Burke Jr.. Burke faced a single misdemeanor and misdemeanor charge after his then-girlfriend told police in May 2022 that he had pushed her to the point had been strangled, according to the Anchorage Daily News, she almost lost consciousness.

The committee offered no explanation for Burke’s disqualification, other than noting the rule that mushers “shall be held to a high standard of personal and professional conduct.”

Two days later, the state of Alaska dismissed the charges because the former girlfriend refused to participate in the case, Alaska Department of Law spokesperson Patty Sullivan said in an email to The Associated Press on Friday.

“After a thorough review of the evidence in this investigation, the Department of Justice has determined that it would not be able to prove the allegations of assault beyond a reasonable doubt to a jury,” she wrote.

Burke was recovered on Friday. He did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment.

“Additional information was provided to the Iditarod Trail Committee Board of Directors today regarding Eddie Burke Jr.,” the committee said in a news release. “After reviewing this information, the board has decided to reinstate Mr. Burke as a competitor for the 2024 Iditarod.”

But in the meantime, the committee disqualified 2022 champion Brent Sass on Thursday evening – again, without providing any details as to why. No criminal cases against Sass appear in Alaska’s online court records.

“I am beyond disappointed with the decision the Iditarod has made to disqualify me,” said a statement posted Friday on Sass’ kennel’s Facebook page. “The anonymous allegations made against me are completely false.”

It was not immediately clear what allegations Sass was referring to. But on Friday, an Anchorage attorney, Caitlin Shortell, issued a statement saying, “More than one Alaskan has sought legal advice and representation from our law firm based on their reports of sexual assault by a dog musher who was disqualified from the Iditarod today .” – a clear reference to Sass.

“Our clients retained counsel and sought to remain anonymous due to the high risk that disclosing their identities and experiences would expose them to retraumatization, invasion of privacy, lawsuits and potential violence from their attacker or others,” the statement said.

Retired musher Dan Seavey of Seward said the situation could be seen as a black mark against the race, or race officials having scruples and upholding them.

“It’s easy to file charges against anyone, but proving them is another thing,” said Seavey, 86, a former board member who has raced the Iditarod five times, including third place in the very first race.

“I don’t think the race should get involved in arguments outside the race,” he said.

Mike Williams Sr. competed in 15 Iditarod races between 1992 and 2013. The 71-year-old Yup’ik leader from the southwestern Alaska community of Akiak ran the last race with his son, Mike Williams Jr.. He also considers both Sass and Burke friends.

The biggest concern for race officials should be making sure dogs are properly cared for, he said, and he doesn’t believe it’s necessary for the Iditarod to monitor the lives of mushers. Instead, each musher must make his or her own decisions and face the consequences if he or she gets into legal trouble.

“In everything we do, we are innocent until proven guilty,” Williams said.

The 1,609 kilometer race through the Alaskan wilderness starts this year on March 2 with the ceremonial start in Anchorage. The competitive start takes place the next day, approximately 121 kilometers north of Anchorage.

The removal of Sass leaves 39 mushers in the field this year. Last year, 33 mushers started, the fewest since the Iditarod was first held in 1973.

This isn’t the first time Sass has been disqualified from the Iditarod.

In 2015, he was removed from the race after officials discovered he was carrying an iPod Touch along the way, a violation of race rules excluding two-way communications devices. Although the iPod Touch was not a phone, it could have communicated with others if it had connected to the Internet, officials said.