Former NHLer and child advocate calls for league to better support players reporting abuse
A former NHL player and sexual abuse survivor is calling on the NHL to do more and have more services available to players to report concerns about sexual abuse.
Sheldon Kennedy made the comments following the completion of an investigation into reports of sexual abuse by an assistant coach with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2010.
The investigation found the situation was mishandled and the team was fined $2 million by the NHL and general manager and president of hockey operations, Stan Bowman, resigned from his position.
Kennedy thinks third-party programs need to be available for players and bystanders to speak freely about any concerns they have.
He said there is a player assistance program within the NHL to help players with a variety of issues, but he noted there is no third-party helpline that players can access that isn't part of the team.
"When we keep these types of issues and we keep the call centre or the helpline within the organizations, there is a reluctance for anybody to come forward because it is such a code of silence, if you may. We know the best results come when that safe place or that helpline is outside the organization."
Kennedy said he hopes the NHL and every team in the league can learn from this incident and that they will do everything they can to make sure something like this doesn't happen again.
"This is a chance to get it right and learn from it and understand what was wrong, and how this happened, and how we are going to be better to make sure this doesn't happen for anybody else throughout the league," he said. "How are we going to educate every team? How are we going to create a safe place for every team, for the players, for anybody within the organization to be able to handle and deal with these issues upfront?"
Kennedy added the way this issue was dealt with back in 2010 is archaic and now, these situations cannot be swept under the rug and they need to be dealt with.
"We got to be upfront. I find this is not about being perfect. This is about being honest, being transparent, and doing everything that we can to be able to communicate our plan, be able to admit that we could have been better and we should have been better and we're going to do everything we can to be better."
The Blackhawks hired Jenner & Block to conduct what they called an independent review in response to two lawsuits filed against the franchise: one by a player identified as John Doe alleging sexual assault by then-assistant coach Brad Aldrich in 2010 and another filed by a former student whom Aldrich was convicted of assaulting in Michigan.
-With files from The Associated Press
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer denied bail after being charged with killing Canadian couple
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer, one of two men charged in the killings of a Canadian couple in Dominica, has been denied bail.
LeBlanc says he plans to run in next election, under Trudeau's leadership
Cabinet minister Dominic LeBlanc says he plans to run in the next election as a candidate under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's leadership, amid questions about his rumoured interest in succeeding his longtime friend for the top job.
Sports columnist apologizes for 'oafish' comments directed at Caitlin Clark. The controversy isn’t over
A male columnist has apologized for a cringeworthy moment during former University of Iowa superstar and college basketball’s highest scorer Caitlin Clark’s first news conference as an Indiana Fever player.
U.S. vetoes a widely supported UN resolution backing full membership for Palestine
The United States has vetoed a widely backed UN resolution that would have paved the way for full United Nations membership for the state of Palestine.
Grandparent scam suspects had ties to Italian organized crime, police allege
A group of suspects that allegedly defrauded seniors across Ontario and other parts of Canada using a so-called emergency grandparent scam appear to have ties to 'Italian traditional organized crime,' according to an investigator involved in the OPP-led probe.
Health Canada to change sperm donor screening rules for men who have sex with men
Health Canada will change its longstanding policy restricting gay and bisexual men from donating to sperm banks in Canada, CTV News has learned. The federal health agency has adopted a revised directive removing the ban on gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men, effective May 8.
Prince Harry formally confirms he is now a U.S. resident
Prince Harry, the son of King Charles III and fifth in line to the British throne, has formally confirmed he is now a U.S. resident.
Cat found on Toronto Pearson airport runway 3 days after going missing
Kevin the cat has been reunited with his family after enduring a harrowing three-day ordeal while lost at Toronto Pearson International Airport earlier this week.
N.L. gardening store revives 19th century seed-packing machine
Technology from the 19th century has been brought out of retirement at a Newfoundland gardening store, as staff look for all the help they can get to fill orders during a busy season.