Former Chicago Blackhawks forward Kyle Beach identified himself Thursday as “John Doe” in a sexual assault allegation against former coach Brad Aldrich. Beach was with the Blackhawks organization during the club’s 2010 Stanley Cup playoffs when he said former video coach Brad Aldrich assaulted him. According to an internal probe that was made public Tuesday, Beach told the team but senior Blackhawks staff did not take immediate action against Aldrich. The internal report found that Blackhawks management didn’t want to take any immediate action against Aldrich because the team was in the midst of their playoff run, which ended with the club winning the Stanley Cup. According to the internal probe, Aldrich did not deny that a sexual encounter with the player occurred, but he contended that it was consensual. The report didn’t name Beach and called him “John Doe” throughout the 107-page finding. The report led to the resignation of general manager Stan Bowman and a $2 million fine against the club.
Beach said: “So for me right now, it’s important to come forward to share my story because this is so much bigger than Kyle Beach. Yes, I’m a survivor, but there’s millions of people in this world that have been affected by sexual abuse or sexual assault, and I’m speaking out now to hopefully give them a voice, to give them the power to come forward so that we can make a change in this world and hopefully make this a safer place in sports but also in work and life and every day.”
The Blackhawks organization said after Beach went public: “First, we would like to acknowledge and commend Kyle Beach’s courage in coming forward. It was inexcusable for the then-executives of the Blackhawks organization to delay taking action regarding the reported sexual misconduct. No playoff game or championship is more important than protecting our players and staff from predatory behavior.” In addition, National Hockey League Players’ Association Executive Director Don Fehr said: “Kyle Beach has been through a horrific experience and has shown true courage in telling his story. There is no doubt that the system failed to support him in his time of need, and we are part of that system.”
Editorial credit: DarioZg / Shutterstock.com