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Commissioner Gary Bettman said Friday that the NHL will let the judicial process proceed before making a decision about a player accused of sexual assault in a 2018 case involving a player on Canada’s world junior team. He said he would wait.
Bettman addressed the situation during All-Star Weekend, days after four current NHL players were charged by police with sexual assault in London, Ont. He called the allegations “abhorrent, reprehensible, horrific and unacceptable.”
Carter Hart of the Philadelphia Flyers, Michael McLeod and Cal Foote of the New Jersey Devils, and Dillon Dube of the Calgary Flames are all on indefinite leave from their teams. Bettman said the league does not believe it is necessary to suspend players without pay for the remainder of the season.
“The most responsible and prudent thing for us to do at this point is to wait for the judicial process to conclude, at which point we will respond as appropriate,” Bettman said.
Hart, McLeod, Foote and Dube are currently being paid. Bettman pointed out that all four players are not signed beyond this season. Former NHL player Alex Formenton was also charged.
Lawyers for all five players said their clients were innocent. London police have scheduled a press conference for Monday to provide an update on the incident.
The NHL has promised to launch its own investigation in 2022 and release its findings. Bettman said the investigation took about 12 months and was completed last summer. Deputy Chief Bill Daly added that nothing will be released while the case is ongoing.
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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl