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TORONTO — The NHL will wait for judicial proceedings to proceed before making a decision on four players accused of sexual assault in a 2018 incident involving Canada’s world junior team, Commissioner Gary said.・Mr. Bettman said on Friday.
Speaking about the situation at All-Star Weekend, days after NHL players were accused of sexual assault by police in London, Ont., Bettman called the allegations “abhorrent, reprehensible, horrific and unacceptable.” Ta.
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 conclusion of the judicial process, at which point we will respond as appropriate,” Bettman said. “I am satisfied with the fact that they are not playing away from the team. In any case, they are paid the majority of their salaries for the year. Until the players are compensated. We’re heading into overtime. That’s not a concern. The concern is getting this right.”
Bettman noted that all four players are not under contract beyond this season, and it is unlikely that any of the teams involved will try to release them by then.
“It makes no sense in terms of timing,” Bettman said. “They’re all away from the team on vacation, and they’re all free agents (at the time). In any case, they won’t be under contract after this season. In order to successfully terminate the contract, certain You have to be able to prove it.”
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.
With the legal process backlogged in Canada, it is unclear when the trial will begin, much less end. Asked about the eligibility of Hart, McLeod, Foote and Dube in the meantime, Bettman said: “I would be surprised if they played while this matter was pending.”
“If I were them, I would assume the charges go down and focus on protecting myself,” Bettman said.
Bettman has wide discretion to make decisions in the best interest of the game. In 2019, the league determined that Los Angeles Kings defenseman Slava Voynov had committed domestic violence and suspended him for the 2019-20 season and subsequent playoffs. Shane Pinto was suspended for 41 games for violating the league’s gambling regulations.
The NHL has promised to launch its own investigation in 2022 and release its findings. Bettman said the investigation took about 12 months and concluded last summer. Deputy Chief Bill Daly added that nothing will be released while the case is ongoing.
NHL Players Association Executive Director Marty Walsh remained mum on his and the association’s role in the situation.
“I think we’ll have to wait and see what happens in court and how the trial goes,” he said. “Then we’ll discuss next steps. But I don’t think we can go that far right now.”
A woman sued Hockey Canada in 2022, alleging she was sexually assaulted by eight members of Canada’s world junior team in a hotel room after a fundraising event in London in 2018. Hockey Canada settled the lawsuit with a slush fund to pay for a settlement over sexual assault and abuse allegations that a subsequent investigation revealed the organization was harboring two secrets.
Bettman said the league learned of the allegations on May 26, 2022. The NHL said it had interviewed all of the team’s players, adding that the woman involved refused to participate in the investigation.
“There’s no fault there,” Bettman said. “She absolutely has the right not to talk to us and we respect that, but it also affects the complexity of her investigation.”
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