CTV Reports Eight Former OHL Players Involved In Sexual Assault Allegation

CTV's Rick Westhead reported a sexual assault allegation involving a group of junior hockey players from November 2014

Warning: This article contains sensitive language regarding allegations of sexual assault. 

On Wednesday, CTV journalist Rick Westhead reported a woman alleged she was sexually assaulted by eight former OHL players in November 2014, some of who reportedly went on to play in the NHL.

The alleged victim, whose identity remained private and referred to by her middle name Anne Marie, told CTV she was in a consensual relationship with a 19-year-old OHL player for around six months when she was 22 years old. 

She said the OHL player invited her over to watch TV alongside one of his teammates at his billet home. However, when Anne Marie got to the house and went down into the basement, she said there were eight players there.

She also mentioned that when she entered the home, she waved and said hi to the billet parents who were on the couch watching TV, but the parents didn't ask any questions.

“I was taken into a bathroom,” she told CTV. “And that's when the player who invited me over began having sex with me, starting sexual acts. They never closed the bathroom door fully. And then next thing I know more players start coming in. There’s players standing and watching. They start taking their turns, doing whatever it is they want.”

Anne Marie said she was trapped in the bathroom and was assaulted for about 90 minutes. She said she called a female friend while driving home. That friend told CTV she recalled the alleged victim saying some of the players were as young as 16 years old and seemed pressured to take part in the assault by the 19-year-old player who invited her to the home. 

She said she didn't report what had happened to the police immediately after. Anne Marie didn't even tell her family until this year.

“I just felt ashamed,” Anne Marie said. “I never told anyone because I thought it was my fault. I thought I was the one that was responsible because I had made the choice to go hang out with this guy and a buddy.

“It wasn't until a couple of years ago that I had actually realized that it was sexual assault because I had pushed it so far out of my mind. I did what I could to just forget it, not think about it, wipe it away. But it just built up inside in the back of my brain.”

Westhead reported Anne Marie, who is now 32 years old, said she contacted the OPP (Ontario Provincial Police) on Feb. 28 to report the alleged assault. However, she said she was told that there was nothing the OPP could do to help because she needed to report the incident to the police where the alleged attack took place.

She said that when she did that, the police told her to go elsewhere and report it to the police station closest to where she currently lives.

The OPP said to Westhead that one of its employees did not follow the organization’s policy when Anne Marie called a local detachment earlier this year to report the incident.

The OHL issued a statement saying that it is aware of CTV's report and first learned about the sexual assault allegations on Wednesday, having no prior knowledge of the alleged event. 

No players or the team(s) they played for were named in CTV's reporting. 

If you or someone you know is struggling with sexual assault or trauma, the following resources are available to support people in crisis:

If you are in immediate danger or fear for your safety, you should call 911.

A full list of sexual assault centers in Canada that offer information, advocacy, and counseling can be found ​on the website of the Canadian Association of Sexual Assault Centres.

Helplines, legal services, and locations that offer sexual assault kits in Alberta, B.C., Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Quebec, Ontario, and Nova Scotia can be found here.

National Residential School Crisis Line: +1 866 925 4419

Canadian Human Trafficking Hotline: +1 833 900 1010

Trans Lifeline: +1 877 330 6366

Sexual misconduct support for current or former members of the Armed Forces: +1 844 750 1648

Read about your rights as a victim here. ​

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