One of the players who won the Stanley Cup with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2010 is suing the team claiming he and another player were sexually assaulted by an assistant coach prior to the Cup win. The player has not been identified, but he's accusing the team of ignoring his accusations.
Court documents filed by the player's lawyer claims an assistant coach «turned on porn and began to masturbate in front of» the Blackhawks player without the player's consent. The lawsuit identified that coach as Brad Aldrich, who was a video coach for the Blackhawks at the time and is no longer with the organization. The lawsuit also alleges there were inappropriate text messages from the coach to the player and threats to "physically, financially and emotionally" harm the player if he "did not engage in sexual activity" with the coach. His lawyer says the player's life and career have been ruined by these incidents, and he's seeking damages in excess of $150,000.
Aldrich, who now lives in Michigan, was contacted twice by
WBEZ, but in both cases hung up the phone abruptly when he realized who he was talking to. His lawyer later sent an email to WBEZ saying his client denies all of the allegations. The Chicago Blackhawks have also made a statement on the matter.
"The Chicago Blackhawks take the allegations asserted by a former player very seriously," said Adam Rogowin, the Blackhawks vice president for communications. "Based on our investigation, we believe the allegations against the organization lack merit and we are confident the team will be absolved of any wrongdoing."
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"As this is a pending litigation matter, it would be inappropriate for us to comment further," he said.
It's not clear when Aldrich left the Blackhawks organization, but court documents show he was convicted in 2013 of fourth degree criminal sexual conduct involving a student. He has not been criminally charged in the Blackhawks case.
Source:
WBEZADS
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