Lawyers say cover-up of alleged Brad Aldrich harassment of another 2010 Chicago "Black Ace" mirrors case of Kyle Beach. More players may have been targeted by former video coach as well.
Lawyers say cover-up of alleged Brad Aldrich harassment of another 2010 Chicago "Black Ace" mirrors case of Kyle Beach. More players may have been targeted by former video coach as well.
A second former "Black Ace" player from the Chicago Blackhawks 2010 Stanley Cup squad has filed lawsuit against the team for allowing former video coach Brad Aldrich to assault him sexually, then following with an "institutional cover-up."
And according to the legal team that's representing the player, there could be more who were targeted by Aldrich than this latest "John Doe" accuser and Kyle Beach, the first to come forward with allegations in 2021.
"What we know from the allegations here, there's every indication there could be more people out there, and and in, fact, that's usually what happens" said Jason J. Friedl, a senior attorney at Romanucci & Blandin, LLC, the Chicago law firm representing the second accuser.
"A predator takes advantage of the situation and doesn't just limit themselves to get the opportunities available. And this was an opportunity-rich situation."
Friedl and Romanucci & Blandin founding partner Antonio M. Romanucci discussed the civil lawsuit at a press conference on Monday. The suit was filed on Nov. 2 in the Circuit Court of Cook County (Illinois), Law Division and the plaintiff is seeking a jury trial on six counts against the Blackhawks.
Session was dramatic: "Dirty little secret."
There was plenty of posturing.
"This is a case of institutional negligence at it's worst," Romanucci said. "We're in a culture of win at all costs, allowing a predator coach to abuse players when the coach knew he could act with impunity — in other words just get away with it — because the team was on a winning roll."
He added John Doe's "professional aspirations were weaponized by Aldrich, who groomed manipulated the young player for his own gratification."
Romanucci went on to call the situation with Aldrich the Blackhawks' "dirty little secret" that was swept under the rug by the team until Beach came forward in 2021.
Once Beach's claims came to light, the Blackhawks commissioned an independent report by Chicago law firm Jenner & Block to investigate Beach's allegations, along with the organization's mishandling and breakdowns. John Doe provided testimony in the report and was identified as "Black Ace 1," but didn't say he was targeted by Aldrich at that time.
The team was fined $2 million by the NHL for not promptly responding to Beach's complaints. Beach filed a lawsuit in 2021 and reached a settlement with the Blackhawks.
The Jenner & Block report showed Beach first reported issues with Aldrich in May 2020, but the team did not act on them for several weeks. Aldrich did not leave the team until after it won the Stanley Cup and celebrated with it in June.
Since that time, the Blackhawks have changed their senior management team and instituted policy changes designed to prevent abuse of any employee.
Statement from the Blackhawks
The team issued a statement in response to the lawsuit by John Doe.
"The Chicago Blackhawks take allegations of workplace misconduct and organizational response very seriously, and it’s why, over two years ago, we commissioned an extensive independent investigation into the troubling events that occurred in 2010.
"We’ve changed as a result of what happened and implemented numerous positive improvements throughout our organization to ensure the safety and wellbeing of our players and employees. This includes completely rebuilding the leadership team with personnel who demonstrate our values and bring the right subject matter expertise in the critical areas of compliance and human resources, an expansive mental health program, and new reporting mechanisms and training for all employees.
"Until we learn more about this pending litigation, we will refrain from commenting with any additional specifics."
Why did this second player wait to come forward?
Romanucci said his plaintiff is just now ready to come forward, albeit as a John Doe, for two reasons:
1) "It was not known to John Doe that the organization had hidden this corrupt conduct in plain sight" and
2)"Like many survivors of sexual abuse and harassment, John Doe feels an intense amount of personal shame, guilt, embarrassment, and it took him a long while to reconcile."
In the press conference and a news release, the law firm explicitly described the alleged sexual harassment by Aldrich toward John Doe. Here are some main takeaways.
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