A lawsuit filed on May 7 in Cook County Circuit Court by an unidentified ex-Chicago Blackhawks player who is referred to in the document as “John Doe” alleges one of the team’s former assistant coaches sexually assaulted him during the team’s Stanley Cup title run in 2010.
In addition to claiming that ex-assistant coach Bradley Aldrich also assaulted another unidentified Blackhawks player, the lawsuit alleges the team did nothing after a now-retired employee was informed of the alleged abuse, per The Associated Press.
Former Chicago skills coach Paul Vincent was informed of inappropriate behavior by Aldrich by two players in 2010 and he told team executives to report the allegations to Chicago police. Those executives, including team president John McDonough and general manager Stan Bowman, rejected his request, according to TSN.
“I feel a weight has been lifted off of me,” Vincent told TSN. “I will stand up in court and say what happened. I know what the team did to cover this up and coming forward was the right thing to do.”
Aldrich was convicted of fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct involving a student in Michigan in 2013 and is now on that state’s registry of sex offenders, according to Chicago public radio station WBEZ.
Had the team acted after being alerted about Aldrich’s abuse, the assault on the Michigan student and possibly others would have been prevented, said the former player’s attorney Susan Loggans.
“Had the Blackhawks accurately reported what had occurred with John Doe 1, then Aldrich would never have been allowed to be in a position where he could molest other people,” Loggans said.
The former player who is suing the team is seeking more than $150,000 in damages.
“This entire man’s life has been destroyed,” Loggans told WBEZ. “These professional athletes have to function at the top of their game at all times in order to be competitive, and these things are really debilitating.”
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