A former Chicago Blackhawks player has sued the NHL team after alleging that he was sexually assaulted by an ex-assistant coach.
The unidentified player claims that Bradley Aldrich sexually assaulted him during the team’s run to the 2010 Stanley Cup title.
And the player, named as “John Doe” in court papers, says that the team took no action after he told another now retired assistant coach about it.
Bradley Aldrich was convicted in 2013 in Michigan of fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct involving a student and is now a registered sex offender in the state.
The former player’s lawyer, Susan Loggans, says that the lack of action by the team enable Aldrich to go on and assault the student.
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“This entire man’s life has been destroyed,” Ms Loggans told radio station 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.”
The lawsuit was filed in May in Cook County Circuit Court is seeking more than $150,000 in damages, and claims that another Blackhawks player was also assaulted.
The lawsuit claims that Aldrich, who was then a video coach for the team, “turned on porn and began to masturbate in front of” the player without his consent.
Court papers also state that Aldrich threatened to “physically, financially and emotionally” hurt the player if he “did not engage in sexual activity” with him.
Two Blackhawks players reportedly told then skills-coach Paul Vincent of Mr Aldrich’s behavior in May 2010, according to Canadian sports channel TSN.
Mr Vincent told the network that that he had informed team executives about the complaints and told them to report them to Chicago police, but the team refused.
“I feel a weight has been lifted off of me,” Mr 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.”
A lawyer for Aldrich told WBEZ that his client denied the allegations made against him in the lawsuit.
The Independent has reached out to the Chicago Blackhawks for comment.
