Blackhawks Order Independent Review Of Sexual Assault Allegations

CHICAGO — The Chicago Blackhawks have hired a former federal prosecutor to conduct an independent review of claims of sexual assault by a former team film coordinator, who allegedly assaulted two members of the 2010 Stanley Cup championship team.

Reid J. Schar, a former U.S. Attorney who is now with the Chicago-based law firm Jenner & Block, LLC, will head up the investigation, according to a memo to Blackhawks employees from CEO Danny Wirtz. In the memo, which was obtained by several media outlets including the Chicago Tribune, Wirtz said that the team takes the allegations in two lawsuits “very seriously.”

The Blackhawks have been named in two lawsuits — including one brought by a player on the 2010 championship team — that maintains that the player and one of his teammates were sexually assaulted by former film coordinator Bradley Aldrich. The Hawks also are named in a lawsuit from John Doe 2, who is described as being a former high school player who was also sexually assaulted by Aldrich.

The first lawsuit, which was filed in May, is seeking $150,000 in damages. WBEZ in Chicago was the first to report the lawsuit had been filed by the former Hawks player.

Aldrich left the Blackhawks after the 2010 season and was later convicted of sexually assaulting a high school player in Michigan. He is now forced to register as a sex offender in Michigan.

In the memo, Wirtz addressed the lawsuits with employees that in addition to the allegations in the lawsuits are being taken very seriously, “they in no way reflect this organization’s cultures or values.”

Last week, The Athletic reported that “every guy” on the Blackhawks knew about the allegations surrounding Aldrich and the two players. A TSN report out of Canada that the allegations were taken to the front office, including to the Hawks’ president, John McDonough, and general manager Stan Bowman, who were told they should file a report with the Chicago Police Department. That never happened, the report stated.

Former Blackhawks players have responded to last week’s report, including Brent Sopel, who said that everyone in the front office who did nothing at the time the allegations in 2010 “should be in jail” and said it was “BS” that the league had not launched its own investigation into the matter.

While working as a U.S. Attorney, Schar led the investigation against former Illinois Gov. Rod Blogojevich as well as other high-profile cases.

“Mr. Schar and his firm have significant experience conducting independent investigative reviews, have no previous ties to the Blackhawks organization, and have been directed to follow the facts wherever they lead,” Wirtz said in the memo, in which he asked for employees’ trust and patience while the review is conducted.

The Blackhawks, who have declined comment on the lawsuits, said that they would not make any statements until the independent review is complete.

Asked about the allegations at his press conference ahead of the Stanley Cup Final, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said the league would remain in “wait and see” mode while the inquiry is conducted.

"My first reaction is, 'Tell me the facts,'" Bettman told reporters on Monday. "Once we know what the facts are, we're in a better position to evaluate what may or may not need to be done."

Bettman said that he feels like an independent review into the allegations is an appropriate course of action for the Blackhawks. He said it was only “relatively recenty” that he learned of the allegations which are now more than a decade old.

“Let us see what the investigation reveals, and then we can figure out what comes next," Bettman said Monday. "I think everyone is jumping too far, too fast. This is going to be handled appropriately and professionally, and done right."

The commissioner added: "What we know is what's based on what's public. "And that's why we're going to be interested to see what the investigation reveals and doesn't reveal.”