4 days ago
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The NHL has decided to reinstate five players - who were acquitted of sexual assault charges earlier this summer - back into the league.
In July, Dillon Dube, Carter Hart, Michael McLeod, Cal Foote and Alex Formenton were found not guilty by an Ontario judge after being accused of sexually assaulting a woman in London, Ontario in 2018.
The alleged victim filed a police report immediately following the alleged assault and police in London, Ontario investigated the claims - but closed the case in 2019.
However, when it later emerged that Hockey Canada settled a $3.5 million lawsuit with the woman, London police launched a review of the case and how the officers handled the investigation.
Officers finally announced the charges against the five men last year - shaking the National Hockey League to its core as McLeod and Foote both played for the Devils, Carter Hart played for the Philadelphia Flyers and Dube played for the Calgary Flames at the time.
However, now that the case has concluded and the five stars were found not guilty, the NHL has reportedly decided to reinstate them.
Michael McLeod, Carter Hart, Alex Formenton, Dillon Dube and Cal Foote debuted a new, clean-shaven look as they arrived in court on Tuesday ahead of their historic sexual assault trial
An unidentified woman claimed the pro athletes sexually assaulted her following a June 2018 gala celebrating Canada's world junior hockey win
In the Thursday announcement, the NHL said: 'The league has determined that the conduct at issue falls woefully short of the standards and values that the League and its Member Clubs expect and demand.'
'Each of the players, based on in-person meetings with the League following the verdicts, expressed regret and remorse for his actions. Nevertheless, we believe their conduct requires formal League-imposed discipline'.
They continued by stating that the five players would be eligible to play in NHL games starting from December 1st.
Meanwhile, the NHL Players' Association said: 'The League expects and requires that, going forward, each of the players will uphold the standards required of NHL players both on and off the ice.'
'We now consider the matter closed and look forward to the players' return'.
According to reports, a number of NHL teams have already inquired over the players' eligibility. While deputy commissioner Bill Daly told ESPN: 'Some [teams] check in and see what the status is, just like you would ask what the status is.
He continued: 'I don't know if that means they have an interest [in signing them] or not, but they've been checking on status from time to time'.
Speaking to the courtroom in July, Ontario Superior Court Justice Maria Carroccia said she didn't find the evidence against the men to be 'credible or reliable.'
Defendants Michael McLeod, Carter Hart, Cal Foote, Dillon Dube and Alex Formenton were all told they were 'free to go' after the ruling.
The allegations shook the NHL to its core when the charges were announced last year, as Dube (left) was playing for the Calgary Flames and Foote (right) was playing for the Devils at the time
Hart (right) was also playing for the Philadelphia Flyers, while Formenton (right) was signed with the Ottawa Senators but was playing in Switzerland when the charges were announced
McLeod played professionally for New Jersey Devils when the charges were announced
McLeod, who prosecutors allege was the 'ringleader' that night, was also found not guilty of a separate charge of being a party to the offense of sexual assault.
'Much has been made in this case about the concept of consent,' Carroccia told the courtroom on Thursday. 'This case, on its facts, does not raise issues of the reformulation of the legal concept of consent. In this case, I have found actual consent not vitiated by fear.
'I conclude that the Crown cannot meet its onus [on the charges],' Carroccia said.
The judge spent much of the day going over her ruling as protestors were gathered outside in support of the accuser known only as E.M.
CBC reported there were gasps and tears in the courtroom as Carroccia delivered her decision seven years after the allegations were first reported to police.
E.M. testified in May that she was naked, drunk and scared when four of the men showed up unexpectedly in her room at the Delta Hotel London Armouries in the early morning hours of June 19, 2018, and felt the only 'safe' option was to do what they wanted.
'I made the choice to dance with them and drink at the bar, I did not make the choice to have them do what they did back at the hotel,' she testified.
Prosecutors contend the players did what they wanted without taking steps to ensure she was voluntarily consenting to sexual acts.
Supporters for 'E.M' gathered outside a London Courthouse, in London, Ontario back in July
Defense attorneys cross-examined her for days and suggested she actively participated in or initiated sexual activity because she wanted a 'wild night.'
The players, who are now between the ages of 25 and 27, were in London, Ontario at the time for a gala and golf tournament marking that year's championship victory.
London Detective Sargeant Katherine Dann said in announcing charges in early 2024 that London Police received a call on June 19, 2018, from a relative of the victim and launched an investigation. That investigation was closed in 2019 with no charges.
A 2022 lawsuit sought $3.55 million in damages but was dropped after E.M. reached a settlement with Hockey Canada, leading police to reopen the investigation and charge five members of the team. That investigation revealed the organization had two secret funds to pay settlements on claims of sexual assault and abuse.
The NHL launched its own investigation in 2022. Officials pledged to release the findings, though Commissioner Gary Bettman said in February that would depend on what the league can say given legal proceedings.
Hart, formerly of the Philadelphia Flyers; McLeod and Foote, formerly of the New Jersey Devils; Dube, formerly of the Calgary Flames; and ex-NHL player Alex Formenton, who had been playing in Europe with Swiss club HC Ambri-Piotta, were charged with sexual assault.
