Blackhawks GM Stan Bowman resigns after investigation into sexual assault allegations against ex-assistant
CHICAGO â The Chicago Blackhawks mishandled allegations that an assistant coach sexually assaulted a player during the teamâs Stanley Cup run in 2010, according to an investigation commissioned by the franchise that cast a shadow over the NHL on Tuesday.
Stan Bowman, Chicagoâs general manager and president of hockey operations, resigned in the wake of the findings by an outside law firm, and the NHL fined the team $2 million for âthe organizationâs inadequate internal procedures and insufficient and untimely response.â Al MacIsaac, one of the teamâs top hockey executives, also is out.
The Blackhawks hired Jenner & Block to conduct what they called an independent review in response to two lawsuits filed against the franchise: one by a player identified as John Doe 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.
Team CEO Danny Wirtz called the report âboth disturbing and difficult to read,â and NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said it âmakes clear that senior managementâs handling of the alleged incident included a failure to report the matter to Chicago ownership, both as to what was alleged and how it was being handled.â
Bowman said he was stepping aside because he didnât want to be a distraction for the team.
âEleven years ago, while serving in my first year as general manager, I was made aware of potential inappropriate behavior by a then-video coach involving a player,â he said in a statement released by the team. âI promptly reported the matter to the then-president and CEO who committed to handling the matter.
âI learned this year that the inappropriate behavior involved a serious allegation of sexual assault. I relied on the direction of my superior that he would take appropriate action. Looking back, now knowing he did not handle the matter promptly, I regret assuming he would do so.â
Florida Panthers coach Joel Quenneville and Winnipeg Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff, who were with the Blackhawks when the sexual assault allegations were first reported, were named in the damning report as well.
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said he would âreserve judgmentâ on Quenneville and Cheveldayoff, and he plans to meet with them to discuss their roles in the situation.
The Panthers declined to comment, citing Bettmanâs plans to meet with Quenneville. Cheveldayoff said he shared everything he knows with Jenner & Block for its report.
âFurther, I look forward to my discussion with Commissioner Bettman at the soonest possible date to continue to cooperate fully with the National Hockey League,â Cheveldayoff said in a statement provided by the Jets to USA TODAY Sports. âI will reserve any further comment until after that conversation has been conducted."
Bowman, the son of Hall of Fame coach Scotty Bowman, also resigned his position as GM of the U.S menâs hockey team at the 2022 Winter Olympics.
Former federal prosecutor Reid Schar, who led the investigation, said the firm found no evidence that Wirtz or his father, Rocky, who owns the team, were aware of the allegations before the former playerâs lawsuit was brought to their attention ahead of its filing.
âIt is clear that in 2010 the executives of this organization put team performance above all else,â Danny Wirtz said. âJohn Doe deserved better from the Blackhawks.â
In a statement released through his attorney, Susan Loggans, John Doe said he was âgrateful for the accountabilityâ shown by the Blackhawks.
âAlthough nothing can truly change the detriment to my life over the past decade because of the actions of one man inside the Blackhawks organization, I am very grateful to have the truth be recognized, and I look forward to continuing the long journey to recovery,â John Doe said.
Danny Wirtz said he has instructed the organizationâs lawyers to try to âreach a fair resolution consistent with the totality of the circumstances.â But Loggans said there hadnât been any settlement talks.
âIâm waiting to see if thereâs any action behind their repentance that they expressed today,â she told The Associated Press.
According to the report, the encounter between John Doe, then 20, and Aldrich, then 27, occurred on May 8 or 9 in 2010. Doe told investigators that Aldrich threatened him with a souvenir baseball bat before forcibly performing oral sex on him and masturbating on the playerâs back, allegations that he also detailed in a lawsuit. Aldrich told investigators the encounter was consensual.
On May 23, right after Chicago advanced to the Stanley Cup Final, Bowman, MacIsaac, former team president John McDonough, former executive vice president Jay Blunk and then-assistant general manager Cheveldayoff met with then-coach Quenneville and mental skills coach Jim Gary to discuss the allegations. (McDonough and Blunk are no longer employed in the NHL.)
Schar said accounts of the meeting âvary significantly.â
âWhat is clear is that after being informed of Aldrichâs alleged sexual harassment and misconduct with a player no action was taken for three weeks,â Schar said.
According to the report, Bowman recalled that, after learning of the incident, Quenneville shook his head and said it was hard for the team to get to where it was, and they could not deal with this issue now.
The report found no evidence of any investigation or contact with human resources before McDonough informed the teamâs director of human resources about the allegations on June 14 â a delay that violated the Blackhawksâ sexual harassment policy and had âconsequences,â according to Schar.
âDuring that period, Aldrich continued to work with and travel with the team,â Schar said. âOn June 10th, during an evening of celebration after the Blackhawksâ Stanley Cup win the previous day, Aldrich made an unwanted sexual advance towards a Blackhawks intern, who was 22 years old at the time.
âAlso after the Stanley Cup win, Aldrich continued to participate in celebrations in the presence of John Doe, who had made the complaint.â
While announcing in July that he was willing to participate in the teamâs probe, Quenneville said in a statement that he âfirst learned of these allegations through the media earlier this summer.â Cheveldayoff said in a statement that he had no knowledge of the allegations until he was asked if he was aware of anything prior to the end of Aldrichâs employment with the Blackhawks.
On June 16, 2010, according to the report, Aldrich was given the option of resigning or being part of an investigation into what happened with John Doe. Aldrich signed a separation agreement and no investigation was conducted.
Aldrich received a severance and a playoff bonus, according to the report, and he was paid a salary âfor several months.â He hosted the Stanley Cup for a day in his hometown, and his name was engraved on the iconic trophy.
The former playerâs lawsuit, filed May 7 in Cook County Circuit Court, alleges Aldrich also assaulted another unidentified Blackhawks player. The former player who sued and is referred in the document as John Doe is seeking more than $150,000 in damages.
The eight-page lawsuit says Aldrich, then a video coach for the Blackhawks, âturned on porn and began to masturbate in front ofâ the player without his consent. It says Aldrich also threatened to âphysically, financially and emotionallyâ hurt the player if he âdid not engage in sexual activityâ with him.
Aldrich was sentenced to nine months in prison for the Michigan assault.
Kyle Davidson was elevated to interim GM for the Blackhawks, and USA Hockey said it expects to announce a replacement for Bowman soon.
The NHL said $1 million of the Blackhawksâ fine will help fund organizations in the Chicago area âthat provide counseling and training for, and support and assistance to, survivors of sexual and other forms of abuse.â The $2 million fine is eight times what the New York Rangers were docked last season for criticizing the leagueâs head of player safety.