Patrick Kane says he didn't know about Blackhawks video coach's alleged sexual abuse
Chicago Blackhawks star Patrick Kane says he was not aware of the allegations of sexual abuse involving former video coach Brad Aldrich in 2010. Kane told reporters at the NHL's media tour this week that he was contacted as part of the investigation since two lawsuits were levied against the Blackhawks earlier this year.
Patrick Kane told me he has participated in the Jenner & Block investigation. Called the allegations "disturbing" and said he "feels for" John Doe. But said he didn't know of it at the time, and never saw or heard any homophobic bullying in the years after. pic.twitter.com/jFASJ97s0v
— Mark Lazerus (@MarkLazerus) September 17, 2021
Kane's comments, which were the first from him publicly since the incident came to light a few months ago, appear to be following a similar pattern, where former players and employees now out of the league have spoken openly about their knowledge of the incident, while active NHL players and staff members have distanced themselves completely.
Brent Sopel, Nick Boynton, and former skills coach Paul Vincent are among those that have spoken publicly about their knowledge of the alleged crime. Former head coach Joel Quenneville, former key members of hockey operations and active NHL GMs Marc Bergevin and Kevin Cheveldayoff, captain Jonathan Toews, and most recently Kane have worked hard to distance themselves from the situation.
This runs clearly counter to a quote from an anonymous team member, who told The Athletic in June that "every guy on the team knew about" the alleged assault, which went unreported to authorities for more than a decade.
The Blackhawks launched their own investigation into the incident this summer with law firm Jenner & Block, which still remains ongoing. The NHL has supported the decision to make the findings public.
Earlier this week, the U.S. Olympic Committee denied a request to remove Chicago GM Stan Bowman from his seat as the architect of USA Hockey's men's Olympic team.
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