In May, Kyle Beach, a former player for the Chicago Blackhawks, filed a complaint alleging that former video coach Brad Aldrich had sexually assaulted him and another player during the 2010 Stanley Cup playoff run. Beach came forward this week as “John Doe” from the lawsuit.
The Blackhawks hired Jenner & Block, an independent law firm, in June to carry out a comprehensive inquiry. Former assistant U.S. attorney Reid Schar oversaw the inquiry, and on Monday, the Blackhawks organization received the findings.
Important team members from 2010 have resigned or been removed of their responsibilities in the meantime, whether they are still in Chicago or abroad. This has happened after the report was released. This is the current situation and what might happen next.
What are some of the principal conclusions drawn from the October 26 report?
As stated in the report, John Doe, who Beach has since identified as himself, allegedly had a sexual contact with Aldrich on May 8 or 9. Investigators were informed by both individuals that there had been an encounter; Beach claimed it wasn’t consensual, while Aldrich claimed it was.
Days later, the report claims, Al MacIsaac, the senior director of hockey operations at the time, was informed that the coach and player might have had a sexual encounter. He was also told that Aldrich might have texted another player something explicit. The Blackhawks’ executive team, which included MacIsaac, head coach Joel Quenneville, associate general manager Stan Bowman, executive vice president Jay Blunk, head coach Joel Quenneville, and mental skills coach James Gary, convened on May 23, 2010, to discuss what had transpired. There were conflicting reports about what was said during that discussion. But following that discussion, Aldrich was not immediately targeted for action. He spent the Stanley Cup festivities with the Blackhawks, even getting to spend a day with the trophy.
The article also claims that after the Blackhawks organization was informed of the original allegations, Aldrich made a sexual approach toward a 22-year-old intern.
A number of specifics in the results point to members of the Blackhawks’ management in 2010. After hearing about the incident, Bowman remembered, “Quenneville shook his head and said that it was hard for the team to get to where they were, and they could not deal with this issue now.” According to the study, many Blackhawks employees and players were aware of the accusations but did nothing about them. Beach was allegedly taunted about the accusations by certain colleagues, who also used derogatory language towards gay people.
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