A former Chicago Blackhawks player came forward publicly as the man who filed a lawsuit against the hockey team over how the organization mishandled his sexual assault allegations. Earlier this week, Kyle Beach revealed himself as the previously anonymous John Doe who filed a lawsuit against the team back in May.
According to his allegations, Beach had complained to team leaders back in 2010 that video coach Brad Aldrich sexually assaulted him.
In the latest fallout from sexual assault accusations by former Chicago Blackhawks player Kyle Beach, a photo from the Stanley Cup celebrations in 2010 shows a homophobic message in the locker room. Upper management of the Blackhawks ignored his complaints until after the team won the Stanley Cup that season.
Beach, who is now a professional hockey player in Germany, said during the interview with TSN that he felt vindicated by the report.
“It was no longer my word against everybody else’s,” he said.
In 2010, Beach, who was 20 years old, joined the Blackhawks as a “Black Ace,” a player added to a team’s roster during a playoff run after the player’s minor-league season is over. Video coach Brad Aldrich, who was 27 at that time, invited Beach to his apartment during the second week of May, providing dinner and drinks. Beach said Aldrich threatened his place on the team and sexually assaulted him that night.
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“To be honest, I was scared mostly. I was fearful. I had my career threatened. I felt alone and dark,” he said of the days after his attack.
The front office met and decided to “avoid bad publicity” as the team approached the playoffs. The team’s leaders didn’t make the allegations public or remove Aldrich from the team until well after the team won the Stanley Cup.
