NHL Commissioner Addresses Reported Charges Facing Five 2018 WJC Canada Players
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman called the sexual assault allegations facing five members of the 2018 Canadian world juniors team "abhorrent" but says the league will let the judicial process play out before deciding what actions to take.
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman spoke to media as part of NHL All-Star Weekend. Among his comments, which included topics of the state of the league’s business growth, Olympic participation and the all-star events themselves, Bettman also took an opportunity to address the sexual assault allegations facing four current NHL players and one former NHL player.
The group of NHL players allegedly involved in a sexual assault following a Hockey Canada event in London, Ont., in 2018, include Philadelphia’s Carter Hart, Calgary’s Dillon Dube, New Jersey’s Michael McLeod and Cal Foote, and former Ottawa Senators forward Alex Formenton, who had been playing in Switzerland. The allegations against them have not been proven in court, and lawyers for the five players say they will plead not guilty.
“I want to be clear, from the moment we first learned about this on May 26, 2022, I have repeatedly used the words, abhorrent, reprehensible, horrific and unacceptable to describe the alleged behaviors, and those words continue to apply,” Bettman said in his opening remarks on the topic.
Following the NHL becoming aware of the alleged incident, the league claims to have launched and completed an external investigation that took, according to Bettman, close to a year to complete. The NHL received the findings of that investigation in the fall of 2023 and, at that time, began conversations with the NHLPA “as to how best to use the information to move forward.”
“This task was complex because of a variety of factors, not the least of which was that our authority had limitations, the volume of information, the passage of time and the fact that other investigations were going on at the same time,” said Bettman.
The other investigations Bettman mentioned were those of the London Police Service, which re-opened its investigation into the matter in the summer of 2022, as well as investigations by Hockey Canada not only into the incident itself but also into how Canada’s governing body for the sport handled the matter internally.
Bettman said the NHL had heard rumors that charges may be pressed against players on numerous occasions but were not informed prior to news breaking on this story in recent days. While none of the four NHL players remain with their clubs, each taking a leave of absence from their teams, the NHL has yet to receive official confirmation that charges have been laid.
“While there are reports of indictments, we have not received official confirmation from the London authorities that five players have been or will be indicted, although it appears from reports they will be,” said Bettman. “As such, and if charges are pending, it would be inappropriate to provide further comment on the matter.”
Despite Bettman’s comments, the legal teams for the players allegedly involved in the sexual assault of a woman identified only as E.M. in reports have confirmed that charges have been filed against the players.
“We can now confirm that more than five and a half years after EM’s initial complaint to police, the London Police Service has charged Mike McLeod with sexual assault," read a statement from David Humphrey and Seth Weinstein of lawyer firm Greenspan Humphrey Weinstein. "Mr. McLeod denies any criminal wrongdoing. He will be pleading not guilty and will vigorously defend the case. None of the evidence has been presented, let alone tested in court. We ask that the public respect Mr. McLeod’s privacy, and his family’s privacy. Because the matter is now before the court, we will not comment further at this time."
The commissioner also said it wouldn't be necessary for the NHL or its teams to suspend or terminate the contracts of the players currently on leave, adding that he's comfortable that they're away from their teams and not playing. The league will also wait for the judicial process to play out before deciding further action to take, he said. Bettman confirmed that they're still being paid, have been paid most of their salary for the year and are all on contracts that expire after the season.
"In order to terminate a contract successfully, you need to be able to prove certain things," Bettman said.
That said, Bettman said he'd be surprised if these players play while charges are pending.
"If I were them, I would be focusing on defending themselves, assuming the charges come down," he said.
Bettman concluded his statements by saying these allegations and the acts outlined do not represent the NHL or hockey as a whole.
“I think it’s important for people to understand that what happened…this is not typical of NHL players, these players weren’t NHL players in the league playing games at the time this alleged incident took place, and we are committed, and we do this through programs that we administer for our players… this is not representative, these allegations, of what takes place in our game,” said Bettman. “And we’re committed to setting the right example and co-operating with hockey organizations at all levels, particularly the youth level, to make sure the message in terms of what is appropriate conduct is delivered. We want people to know our game is inclusive, welcoming, and safe.”
London police have scheduled a press conference for Monday, Feb. 5, at 2 p.m. ET to provide an update related to the allegations.