NHL says it will not discipline Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff in Blackhawks sexual assault scandal
CTV
The National Hockey League said Friday that Winnipeg Jets General Manager Kevin Cheveldayoff was not responsible for improper decisions made by the Chicago Blackhawks and will not be disciplined as a result of the sexual assault investigation involving a former assistant coach.
The National Hockey League said Friday that Winnipeg Jets General Manager Kevin Cheveldayoff was not responsible for improper decisions made by the Chicago Blackhawks and will not be disciplined as a result of the sexual assault investigation involving a former assistant coach.
The news comes after a meeting between Cheveldayoff and Commissioner Gary Bettman.
“While on some level, it would be easiest to paint everyone with any association to this terrible matter with the same broad brush, I believe that fundamental fairness requires a more in-depth analysis of the role of each person,” said Bettman said in a news release. “Kevin Cheveldayoff was not a member of the Blackhawks senior leadership team in 2010, and I cannot, therefore, assign to him responsibility for the Club’s actions, or inactions. He provided a full account of his degree of involvement in the matter, which was limited exclusively to his attendance at a single meeting, and I found him to be extremely forthcoming and credible in our discussion.”
An investigation report released on Tuesday found that the Blackhawks mishandled allegations of an assistant coach sexually assaulting a player during the 2010 season.
The Blackhawks hired Jenner & Block to conduct what they called an independent review in response to two lawsuits filed against the franchise: one by player Kyle Beach alleging sexual assault by then-assistant coach Brad Aldrich in 2010 and another filed by a former student whom Aldrich was convicted of assaulting in Michigan.
Cheveldayoff was with the team at that time as an assistant general manager.
The Blackhawks were fined $2 million by the NHL. General Manager and President of Hockey Operations Stan Bowman resigned from his position.
