A former Chicago Blackhawks player alleges in a lawsuit that he was sexually assaulted by the team’s video coach and that the organization did not properly address his complaint due to not wanting to interrupt a Stanley Cup run, according to the Chicago Tribune.
The lawsuit was filed in Cook County Circuit Court last Thursday by the law firm of Romanucci & Blandin on behalf of their client, who was referred to as “John Doe.”
The suit alleges the Blackhawks showed “utter indifference and/or conscious disregard for the safety of its employees, including John Doe.”
The alleged victim was reportedly part of the so-called Black Aces squad, a group of minor leaguers who traveled with the team to potentially fill in when players were injured. He alleges the assault took place during the 2009-10 season at the video coach’s home under the guise of professional strategy sessions.
This is the second allegation by a Blackhawks player against former video coach Brad Aldrich. Kyle Beach, also a member of the Black Aces squad, settled a lawsuit in December 2021 that alleged Aldrich sexually assaulted him in 2010 and that the team violated its own sexual harassment policy by not responding to his complaint for more than three weeks.
The lawyers for John Doe said that holding the Blackhawks accountable for their actions in response to sexual assault complaints is a key goal of their lawsuit.
“We have a specific mission in mind, certainly that the (Chicago NHL team) remains accountable for the changes that they have promised that they have put in place with regard to prevention of these sexual abuses,” attorney Antonio Romanucci said.
“But we also want to make sure that all teams around the country are on notice that this is not acceptable behavior. Putting winning before the mental health or even physical health of players, that’s over. Hard stop.”
The Blackhawks declined to comment on the specifics of the lawsuit to the Tribune but said they had already learned new strategies for handling allegations of workplace misconduct as a result of the Beach lawsuit.
“This includes completely rebuilding the leadership team with personnel who demonstrate our values and bring the right subject matter expertise in the critical areas of compliance and human resources, an expansive mental health program, and new reporting mechanisms and training for all employees,” the Blackhawks told the Tribune.
Aldrich spent time in jail in 2014 after pleading guilty to fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct in a case involving a 16-year-old high school hockey player in Michigan.
–Field Level Media
