During a news conference at an event for the NHL’s All-Star Weekend in Toronto, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman confirmed that the four NHL players charged with sexual assault are still being paid by their teams.Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press
In his first public comments since four National Hockey League players were charged with sexual assault, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said it’s not necessary to suspend the men, because they are already on leaves from their teams and all of their contracts expire at the end of the season.
During a Friday news conference at an event for the NHL’s All-Star Weekend in Toronto, Mr. Bettman confirmed that the four players are still being paid by their teams.
“It becomes irrelevant in terms of the timing,” he said when asked about possible suspensions. “They’re all away from their teams … They’ve been paid the vast bulk of their salary for the year anyway.” He added that terminating a contract is not straightforward, and that a team would need to “prove certain things” if it were to take that step.
Because of that and the impending expiries of their contracts, he said he is comfortable with not taking further measures.
All but Mr. Formenton – who now plays professionally in Switzerland, but previously played for the Ottawa Senators – were playing in the NHL until they took leaves of absence from their teams last week in advance of the chargesbeing laid. Mr. Formenton has also taken a leave from his Swiss team.
The attack allegedly took place after a Hockey Canada fundraising gala in June, 2018. At the time, the five had all been drafted by NHL teams, but had yet to start their careers in the league.
The NHL conducted its own investigation into the alleged assault. Mr. Bettman confirmed Friday that this probe has been finished for several months.
“We were working with the NHL Players’ Association to analyze the information we had, create a process to move forward, and then determine what was an appropriate response when the news of the impending charges broke last week,” Mr. Bettman said.
He would not comment on what the investigation had found, but he said the allegations are “abhorrent, reprehensible, horrific and unacceptable.”
“At this stage, the most responsible and prudent thing for us to do is await the conclusion of the judicial proceedings,” he said.
The commissioner would not commit to releasing the findings of the NHL’s investigation once the court process has finished.
Friday’s news conference was the first time the commissioner had revealed substantive details of the NHL’s internal investigation since the league launched it a year-and-a-half ago. Mr. Bettman confirmed a report in The Globe and Mail that the league had hired Camille Olson to run the probe. Ms. Olson is a prominent American labour and employment lawyer, who in 2021 was recognized by the National Law Journal as one of the United States’ “trailblazers” in crisis management. Mr. Bettman said her investigation took 12 months to complete.
Ms. Olson had conducted other investigations for the league in the past, Mr. Bettman said. He added that all 22 members of the 2018 junior team were interviewed for the investigation, as well as other people “who were willing to participate.”
The complainant in the sexual-assault case, a woman identified in court records as E.M., was contacted but declined to be interviewed, Mr. Bettman said.
The commissioner said the investigation was complicated in part because two other probes – one from the London police and one from Hockey Canada, conducted by Danielle Robitaille of Henein Hutchison Robitaille LLP – were proceeding at the same time.
The events at the centre of all three investigations began on June 18, 2018, the night of a Hockey Canada fundraising gala in London, Ont., in which members of the national junior team were honoured for their gold-medal win at the world championships several months earlier.
E.M. told police that she met some of the players at a bar that night after the event. She alleges that she eventually left with one of the men and had consensual sex with him in his hotel room, but that without her knowledge he invited some of his teammates into the room. She alleges that over the course of the next several hours she was sexually assaulted and humiliated.
She reported the incident to police immediately, but an initial investigation was closed without charges in February, 2019. The incident didn’t become public knowledge for another three years.
In April, 2022,E.M. filed a $3.55-million lawsuit against Hockey Canada, the Canadian Hockey League and eight players that were not identified by name in her claim. A month later, TSN reported that Hockey Canada had settled the lawsuit for an undisclosed amount.
The NHL’s investigation probed whether any of the players present that night were in violation of the league’s code of conduct, a much lower threshold of wrongdoing than a criminal charge. At Friday’s news conference, Mr. Bettman declined to say whether the investigation had made any findings against any players not charged by police.
When asked whether such findings could be released, he said, “We don’t know exactly what the judicial process is going to be. As I indicated in my remarks, we interviewed all of the players from that team.”
Deputy NHL commissioner Bill Daly, who was also at the news conference, said the teams were not updated about the status of the investigation or any of the information that Ms. Olson learned during the course of her interviews.
“So they were flying in the dark for the entire part of that process. The only things they may have known is what the players may have told them,” Mr. Daly said.
The French league’s legal commission has ordered Paris Saint-Germain to pay Kylian Mbappé the 55 million euros ($61 million) in unpaid wages that he claims he’s entitled to, the league said Thursday.
The league confirmed the decision to The Associated Press without more details, a day after the France superstar rejected a mediation offer by the commission in his dispute with his former club.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Former football star Reggie Bush was at his Encino home Tuesday night when three male suspects attempted to break in, the Los Angeles Times reported Wednesday.
“Everyone is safe,” Bush said in a text message to the newspaper.
The Los Angeles Police Dept. told the Times that a resident of the house reported hearing a window break and broken glass was found outside. Police said nothing was stolen and that three male suspects dressed in black were seen leaving the scene.
Bush starred at Southern California and in the NFL. The former running back was reinstated as the 2005 Heisman Trophy winner this year. He forfeited it in 2010 after USC was hit with sanctions partly related to Bush’s dealings with two aspiring sports marketers.
VANCOUVER – A fresh face has been gracing the B.C. Lions‘ highlight reels in recent weeks.
Midway through his second CFL campaign, wide receiver Ayden Eberhardt has contributed touchdowns in two consecutive games.
The 26-year-old wide receiver from Loveland, Colo., was the lone B.C. player to reel in a passing major in his team’s 37-23 victory over the league-leading Montreal Alouettes last Friday. The week before, he notched his first CFL touchdown in the Lions’ win over the Ottawa Redblacks.
“It’s been awesome. It’s been really good,” Eberhardt said of his recent play. “At the end of the day, the biggest stat to me is if we win. But who doesn’t love scoring?”
He’ll look to add to the tally Friday when the Leos (7-6) host the Toronto Argonauts.
Eberhardt signed with B.C. as a free agent in January 2023 and spent much of last season on the practice squad before cementing a role on the roster this year.
The six-foot-two, 195-pound University of Wyoming product has earned more opportunities in his second season, said Lions’ head coach and co-general manager Rick Campbell.
“He’s a super hard worker and very smart. He understands, has high football IQ, as we call it,” Campbell said.
The fact that Eberhardt can play virtually every receiving position helps.
“He could literally go into a game and we could throw him into a spot and he’d know exactly what he’s doing,” the coach said. “That allows him to play fast and earn the quarterback’s trust. And you see him making plays.”
Eberhardt credited his teammates, coaches and the rest of the Lions’ staff with helping him prepare for any situation he might face. They’ve all spent time teaching him the ins and outs of the Canadian game, or go over the playbook and run routes after practice, he said.
“I’ve played every single position on our offence in a game in the last two years, which is kind of crazy. But I love playing football,” he said. “I want to play any position that the team needs me to play.”
While B.C.’s lineup is studded with stars like running back William Stanback — who has a CFL-high 938 rushing yards — and wide receiver Justin McInnis — who leads the league in both receiving yards (1,074) and receiving TDs (seven) — versatility has been a critical part of the team’s back-to-back wins.
“I think we’ve got a lot of talented guys who deserve to get the ball and make big plays when they have the ball in their hands. So it’s really my job to get them the ball as much as possible,” said quarterback Nathan Rourke.
“I think that makes it easy when you can lean on those guys and, really, we’re in a situation where anyone can have a big game. And I think that’s a good place to be.”
Even with a talented lineup, the Lions face a tough test against an eager Argos side.
Toronto lost its second straight game Saturday when it dropped a 41-27 decision to Ottawa.
“We’ll have our hands full,” Rourke said. “We’ll have to adjust on the fly to whatever their game plan is. And no doubt, they’ll be ready to go so we’ll have to be as well.”
The two sides have already met once this season when the Argos handed the Lions a 35-27 loss in Toronto back on June 9.
A win on Friday would vault B.C. to the top of the West Division standings, over the 7-6 Winnipeg Blue Bombers who are on a bye week.
Collecting that victory isn’t assured, though, even with Toronto coming in on a two-game skid, Campbell said.
“They’ve hit a little bit of a rut, but they’re a really good team,” he said. “They’re very athletic. And you can really see (quarterback Chad Kelly’s) got zip on the ball. When you see him in there, he can make all the throws. So we’re expecting their best shot.”
TORONTO ARGONAUTS (6-6) AT B.C. LIONS (7-6)
Friday, B.C. Place
HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE: The Lions boast a 4-1 home record this season, including a 38-12 victory over the Redblacks at Royal Athletic Park in Victoria, B.C., on Aug. 31. The Argos have struggled outside of BMO Field and hold a 1-5 away record. Trips to the West Coast haven’t been easy for Toronto in recent years — since 2003, the club is 4-14 in road games against B.C.
CENTURION: B.C. defensive back Garry Peters is set to appear in his 100th consecutive game. The 32-year-old from Conyers, Ga., is a two-time CFL all-star who has amassed 381 defensive tackles, 19 special teams tackles and 16 interceptions over seven seasons. “Just being on the field with the guys every day, running around, talking trash back and forth, it keeps me young,” Peters said. “It makes me feel good, and my body doesn’t really feel it. I’ve been blessed to be able to play 100 straight.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.
