Experts and fans are calling on the Montreal Canadiens to take leadership in confronting sexual violence and misogyny after drafting Logan Mailloux.
The 18-year-old was convicted last year for distributing sexually explicit photos of a woman without her consent as she was performing a sex act and then circulating the image among teammates. He was fined in a Swedish court last December.
His actions prompted more than 10 teams to drop Mailloux from their draft boards, The Athletic reported, and Mailloux said in a statement this week he was renouncing himself from this year’s draft, which meant nothing because he remained draft-eligible.
“I know I had said that I didn’t want to be drafted this year,” Mailloux said, per Greg Wyshynski of ESPN. “But as a young man who wants to become a better person, I feel that being accompanied by the Canadiens organization will help me greatly. They’ve committed to helping me grow as a person.”
“I hope the fans there do learn to accept me,” he added. “I do feel remorseful. I hope that not only the girl, but the whole fan base knows that as well. It was a stupid, immature mistake to make.”
Following the selection, Canadiens released a statement, per David Quadrelli of Daily Faceoff:
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“By drafting prospect Logan Mailloux with the 31st overall pick, the Montreal Canadiens organization not only selected a promising hockey player, but also a young man who recently admitted to making a serious mistake. The Canadiens are aware of the situation and by no means minimize the severity of Logan’s actions. Logan understands the impact of his actions. His recent public statement is a genuine acknowledgement of his poor behavior and the first step on his personal journey.
“We are making a commitment to accompany Logan on his journey by providing him with the tools to mature and the necessary support to guide him in his development. We are also committed to raising awareness among our players about the repercussions of their actions on the lives of others.”
The victim, however, told The Athletic for a story this week that Mailloux has not seemed sincere during multiple attempts at apologizing.
“All I wanted was a heartfelt apology for his behavior,” she told The Athletic.
