OTTAWA — The new sport integrity commissioner needs to do a wider inquiry digging into a toxic culture of abuse in Canadian sporting organizations, federal Sport Minister Pascale St-Onge said Wednesday.
With hundreds of athletes from multiple sports coming forward with allegations of physical, sexual and psychological abuse, St-Onge said clearly more needs to be done.
“I think there should be (a public inquiry) and it should be conducted by the Office of the Sport Integrity Commissioner,” St-Onge told reporters Wednesday after the weekly Liberal caucus meeting in Ottawa.
St-Onge’s office is currently seized with allegations of abuse and sexual assaults in Canadian hockey, and both she and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau have called for a full change in leadership at Hockey Canada over its handling of the situation.
Trudeau said Wednesday he does not think the organization’s board or executives really understand the seriousness of what is happening after the interim board chair defended a decision not to force executives to step down.
“It boggles the mind that Hockey Canada is continuing to dig in its heels,” Trudeau said. “Parents across the country are losing faith or have lost faith in Hockey Canada. Certainly, politicians here in Ottawa have lost faith in Hockey Canada.”
He said he hopes they figure it out “because hockey is a really important sport to a lot of Canadians and a lot of kids, and right now this mess is doing no favours to kids across the country.”
Opposition parties on Wednesday pressed Trudeau on the government’s handling of the matter, with Bloc Québécois MP Sébastien Lemire asking for the situation be explored through an independent probe.
St-Onge suspended federal funding for Hockey Canada in June and said she will not consider restoring it until the organization signs on to work with the new Office of the Sport Integrity Commissioner.
The office began its work in June, established by the federal government as an independent agency to investigate allegations of abuse in sport.
But hockey is far from the only sport with issues. St-Onge took on the role of minister of sport just last October, but within the first few months hundreds of athletes from at least eight sports had come forward with allegations of abuse, maltreatment and misuse of funds.
Bobsleigh, skeleton, rowing, boxing, rugby, soccer and alpine skiing are just some of the sports where athletes have come forward.
In 2018, former skiers launched a lawsuit against Alpine Canada alleging it covered up sexual abuse at the hands of a coach in part to prevent a loss of sponsorships. That lawsuit was settled out of court in 2019. The coach, Bertrand Charest, was convicted in 2017 of multiple counts of sexual assault and exploitation involving young athletes.
In March of this year, 70 current and former gymnasts wrote an open letter to Sport Canada asking for an independent investigation into a toxic culture in their sport. That number has now grown to more than 500, and more and more gymnasts are speaking publicly about physical, mental and sexual abuse suffered often at the hands of coaches.
Like she did with Hockey Canada, St-Onge cut off federal funding to Gymnastics Canada until it signs on with the sport integrity commissioner.
She has given all sporting organizations until April to sign on with that office, but as of now, only five have, including Volleyball Canada, the Canada Games Council, Canadian Sport for Life, Canadian Sport Centre Atlantic and Weightlifting Canada.
Liberal MP Kirsty Duncan, who was the minister of sport in 2018 and 2019, said in a speech at the University of Saskatchewan last month that Canada held an inquiry in 1989 to investigate allegations of widespread athlete doping after Ben Johnson was stripped of his gold medal from the Seoul Olympics for testing positive for steroids.
She said Canada now needs “a commission of inquiry into abuse, harassment and sexual assault in sport. To let people be heard, to show the extent of the problem and to receive actionable recommendations for the government to implement.”
She is not alone.
Liberal MP Chris Bittle, who sits on the House of Commons heritage committee that is currently trying to get to the bottom of what is happening at Hockey Canada, said he is not against the idea of a wider inquiry.
“We need to expand the study well beyond Hockey Canada and well beyond what we’re looking at,” he said. “And I think there’s strong desire in the committee to keep going and keep asking the questions, because ultimately, it’s about protecting children.”
Families Minister Karina Gould said a public inquiry on abuse in sport “is not a bad idea.”
“There’s a question here about how we ensure the protection and the safety of athletes, but also, of course what we saw with Hockey Canada and the conduct of athletes, and I think all of us as Canadians want to ensure that this kind of behaviour is, a) unacceptable, and b) doesn’t happen again.”
St-Onge said the sport integrity commissioner is the organization with “the power to do independent investigations on the culture and this is really important to change what’s happening at Hockey Canada.”
She said her office is also auditing all sporting organizations to look for any abuse of public funds.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 5, 2022.
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — The Miami Dolphins will bring in another quarterback while starter Tua Tagovailoa deals with his latest concussion, coach Mike McDaniel said Friday.
For now, Skylar Thompson will be considered the Dolphins’ starter while Tagovailoa is sidelined. Tagovailoa left Thursday night’s 31-10 loss to Buffalo in the third quarter with the third known concussion of his NFL career, all of them coming in the last 24 months.
“The team and the organization are very confident in Skylar,” McDaniel said.
McDaniel said the team has not made any decision about whether to place Tagovailoa on injured reserve. Tagovailoa was expected at the team facility on Friday to start the process of being evaluated in earnest.
“We just have to operate in the unknown and be prepared for every situation,” McDaniel said, noting that the only opinions that will matter to the team will be the ones from Tagovailoa and the medical staff.
McDaniel added that he doesn’t see Tagovailoa playing in Miami’s next game at Seattle on Sept. 22.
“I have no idea and I’m not going to all of a sudden start making decisions that I don’t even see myself involved in the most important parts of,” McDaniel added. “All I’m telling Tua is everyone is counting on you to be a dad and be a dad this weekend. And then we’ll move from there. There won’t be any talk about where we’re going in that regard … none of that will happen without doctors’ expertise and the actual player.”
Tagovailoa was 17 for 25 passing for 145 yards, with one touchdown and three interceptions — one of which was returned for a Buffalo score — when he got hurt. Thompson completed eight of 14 passes for 80 yards.
Thompson said he feels “fully equipped” to run the Dolphins’ offense.
“What’s going to lie ahead, who knows, but man, I’m confident, though,” Thompson said after Thursday’s game. “I feel like I’m ready for whatever’s to come. I’m going to prepare and work hard and do everything I can to lead this team and do my job.”
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa sustained a concussion for the third time in his NFL career, leaving his team’s game Thursday night against Buffalo after running into defensive back Damar Hamlin and hitting the back of his head against the turf.
Tagovailoa remained down for about two minutes before getting to his feet and walking to the sideline after the play in the third quarter. He made his way to the tunnel not long afterward, looking into the stands before smiling and departing toward the locker room.
The Dolphins needed almost no time before announcing it was a concussion. The team said he had two during the 2022 season, and Tagovailoa was diagnosed with another concussion when he was a college player at Alabama.
Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said Tagovailoa would get “proper procedural evaluation” and “appropriate care” on Friday.
“The furthest thing from my mind is, ‘What is the timeline?’ We just need to evaluate and just worry about my teammate, like the rest of the guys are,” McDaniel said. “We’ll get more information tomorrow and take it day by day from here.”
Some players saw Tagovailoa in the locker room after the game and said they were encouraged. Tagovailoa spoke with some players and then went home after the game, McDaniel said.
“I have a lot of love for Tua, built a great relationship with him,” said quarterback Skylar Thompson, who replaced Tagovailoa after the injury. “You care about the person more than the player and everybody in the organization would say the same thing. Just really praying for Tua and hopefully everything will come out all right.”
Tagovailoa signed a four-year, $212 million extension before this season — a deal that makes him one of the highest-paid players in the NFL — and was the NFL’s leading passer in Week 1 this season. Tagovailoa left with the Dolphins trailing 31-10, and that was the final score.
“If you know Tua outside of football, you can’t help but feel for him,” Bills quarterback Josh Allen said on Amazon following the game. “He’s a great football player but he’s an even greater human being. He’s one of the best humans on the planet. I’ve got a lot of love for him and I’m just praying for him and his family, hoping everything’s OK. But it’s tough, man. This game of football that we play, it’s got its highs and it’s got its lows — and this is one of the lows.”
Tagovailoa’s college years and first three NFL seasons were marred by injury, though he positioned himself for a big pay bump with an injury-free and productive 2023 as he led the Dolphins into the playoffs. He threw for 29 touchdowns and a league-best 4,624 yards last year.
When, or if, he can come back this season is anyone’s guess. Tagovailoa said in April 2023 that the concussions he had in the 2022 season left him contemplating his playing future. “I think I considered it for a time,” he said then, when asked if he considered stepping away from the game to protect himself.
McDaniel said it’s not his place to say if Tagovailoa should return to football. “He’ll be evaluated and we’ll have conversations and progress as appropriate,” McDaniel said.
Tagovailoa was hurt Thursday on a fourth-down keeper with about 4:30 left in the third. He went straight ahead into Hamlin and did not slide, leading with his right shoulder instead.
Hamlin was the player who suffered a cardiac arrest after making a tackle during a Monday night game in January 2023 at Cincinnati, causing the NFL to suspend a pivotal game that quickly lost significance in the aftermath of a scary scene that unfolded in front of a national television audience.
Tagovailoa wound up on his back, both his hands in the air and Bills players immediately pointed at him as if to suggest there was an injury. Dolphins center Aaron Brewer quickly did the same, waving to the sideline.
Tagovailoa appeared to be making a fist with his right hand as he lay on the ground. It was movement consistent with something that is referred to as the “fencing response,” which can be common after a traumatic brain injury.
Tagovailoa eventually got to his feet. McDaniel grabbed the side of his quarterback’s head and gave him a kiss on the cheek as Tagovailoa departed. Thompson came into the game to take Tagovailoa’s spot.
“I love Tua on and off the football field,” Bills edge Von Miller said. “I’m a huge fan of him. I can empathize and sympathize with him because I’ve been there. I wish him the best.”
Tagovailoa’s history with concussions — and how he has since worked to avoid them — is a huge part of the story of his career, and now comes to the forefront once again.
He had at least two concussions during the 2022 season. He was hurt in a Week 3 game against Buffalo and cleared concussion protocol, though he appeared disoriented on that play but returned to the game.
The NFL later changed its concussion protocol to mandate that if a player shows possible concussion symptoms — including a lack of balance or stability — he must sit out the rest of the game.
Less than a week later, in a Thursday night game at Cincinnati, Tagovailoa was concussed on a scary hit that briefly knocked him unconscious and led to him being taken off the field on a stretcher.
His second known concussion of that season came in a December game against Green Bay, and he didn’t play for the rest of the 2022 season. After that, Tagovailoa began studying ways where he may be able to fall more safely and protect himself against further injury — including studying jiu-jitsu.
“I’m not worried about anything that’s out of my hands,” McDaniel said. “I’m just worried about the human being.”
Montreal Alouettes wide receiver Tyson Philpot has announced he will be out for the rest of the CFL season.
The Delta, B.C., native posted the news on his Instagram page Thursday.
“To Be Continued. Shoutout my team, the fans of the CFL and the whole city of Montreal! I can’t wait to be back healthy and write this next chapter in 2025,” the statement read.
Philpot, 24, injured his foot in a 33-23 win over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Aug. 10 and was placed on the six-game injured list the next week.
The six-foot-one, 195-pound receiver had 58 receptions, 779 yards and five touchdowns in nine games for the league-leading Alouettes in his third season.
Philpot scored the game-winning touchdown in Montreal’s Grey Cup win last season to punctuate a six-reception, 63-yard performance.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.
