NHL to let judicial process play out in ‘horrific’ 2018 sexual assault case
The NHL will wait until the legal process is completed before making a decision on four players charged with sexual assault in a 2018 case involving that year’s Canadian junior team, commissioner Gary Bettman said Friday.
Bettman addressed the situation during All-Star Weekend, days after the NHL players were accused of sexual assault by police in London, Ont., calling the allegations “abhorrent, reprehensible, heinous and unacceptable.”
Carter Hart of the Philadelphia Flyers, Michael McLeod and Cal Foote of the New Jersey Devils, and Dillon Dube of the Calgary Flames are all on indefinite leave of their teams. Bettman said the league does not believe it is necessary to suspend the players without pay for the remainder of the season.
“At this stage, the most responsible and sensible thing to do is to wait for the conclusion of the legal proceedings, at which point we will respond as appropriate,” Bettman said. “I like the fact that they are away from their teams and not playing. In any case, they have been paid most of their annual salary. We are now getting to the point where compensation is being paid to players. That’s not the concern. It’s about getting this right.”
Bettman pointed out that all four have no contracts beyond this season, and it seems unlikely that any of the teams involved would try to terminate a deal before then.
“It becomes irrelevant in terms of the timing,” Bettman said. “They’re all on leave away from their team, and (then) they’re all free agents. They are no longer under contract after this season anyway. In order to successfully terminate a contract, you must be able to prove certain things.”
Former NHL player Alex Formenton has also been charged. Lawyers for all five players have said their clients are innocent. London police have scheduled a press conference on Monday to provide an update on the case.
Due to a legal backlog in Canada, it is unclear when legal proceedings will begin, let alone be completed. Asked about the eligibility of Hart, McLeod, Foote and Dube in the interim, Bettman said he would be “surprised if they play while this is pending”.
“If I were them, I would focus on defending themselves, assuming charges come,” Bettman said.
Bettman has wide latitude to make decisions in the best interest of the game. The league in 2019 suspended Los Angeles Kings defenseman Slava Voynov for the 2019-20 season and subsequent playoffs after finding he had committed domestic violence. Shane Pinto was suspended 41 games for violating the league’s gambling policy.
The NHL launched its own investigation in 2022 and promised to release the findings. Bettman said the investigation lasted about 12 months and was completed last summer. Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly added that nothing will be released while the case is ongoing.
Marty Walsh, executive director of the NHL Players’ Association, remained tight-lipped about his role and the union’s role in the situation.
“I think you have to wait and see what happens in court and how the legal process plays out,” he said. “And then you have a conversation about what the next steps are. But I don’t think you can go that far at this point.”
A woman sued Hockey Canada in 2022, alleging she was sexually assaulted in a hotel room by eight members of the Canadian junior team following a fundraising gala in London in 2018. Hockey Canada settled the lawsuit, and an investigation found the organization had two undisclosed affairs . slush funds to pay out settlements for sexual assault and abuse claims.
Bettman said the league became aware of the allegations on May 26, 2022. He said the NHL interviewed every player on that team, adding that the woman involved declined to participate in the investigation.
“There’s no mistake,” Bettman said. “She absolutely had the right not to talk to us, and we respect that, but that also has consequences for the complexity of the investigation.”