Everything we know about the Corey Perry incident so far

Corey Perry was placed on waivers for the purpose of contract termination by the Chicago Blackhawks on Nov. 28 following rampant speculation about an alleged workplace incident he was involved in.

Perry was originally deemed a healthy scratch for a Nov. 22 game against the Columbus Blue Jackets but the story evolved into something more serious over the course of the week.

Here's everything we know so far.

Timeline of events

Nov. 21: Perry practices normally with Blackhawks

Perry was spotted practicing as usual, taking photos with fans and staying late on the ice to work with rookie Connor Bedard on a routine shooting drill. This was the last time Perry was seen with the Blackhawks in any official capacity.

ESPN's Emily Kaplan reported this was the day the alleged incident took place.

Nov. 22: Perry is healthy-scratched for game against Blue Jackets

Perry was deemed a healthy scratch with no prior indication from the Blackhawks that he would miss this game.

Nov. 23: Richardson calls the scratch an “organizational decision”

Blackhawks head coach Luke Richardson invited more speculation when he revealed that Perry’s scratch was an organizational decision, rather than a tactical one.

"I just wanted to start by saying I know you have questions about Corey Perry not playing last night and attending practice today but we’re going to keep that internal in the organization right now," Richardson said via Charlie Roumeliotis of NBC Sports. "I’m not going to be able to answer any more questions on that."

Blackhawks players also weighed in on Perry’s absence publicly for the first time.

"We've got a lot of young guys, so it's kind of a shock at first,” Blackhawks forward Nick Foligno said via The Athletic’s Mark Lazerus. “But it's being a pro. We talk about it and this is an opportunity to do that. It's the outside noise that you have to push away, whether it's this or anything else that's going on in your life."

Connor Bedard also spoke about the matter.

“I'm not going to speak on it too much," Bedard said of Perry's absence. "Obviously it sucks he's not here but we don't really have too much information on it or anything yet, but of course he's a big part of the team and it sucks he can't be here today."

Nov. 25: Davidson reveals Perry would be absent for “the foreseeable future”

Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson told reporters that Perry would be away for the foreseeable future. He also made the distinction that it was a team decision.

Perry's agent released a statement saying his client was stepping aside for personal matters.

Nov. 28: Blackhawks place Perry on waivers for purpose of contract termination

Chicago placed Perry on waivers for the purpose of contract termination, ending his tenure with the team. With rampant speculation surrounding the mysterious nature of Perry’s absence, Davidson held a press conference later that afternoon.

Nov. 29: Perry clears waivers

Perry cleared waivers and his contract was terminated immediately. He finished his Blackhawks career with four goals and nine points in 16 games with the franchise.

Nov. 30: Perry releases statement

Perry broke his silence and released a statement apologizing for his behavior.

What has Corey Perry said about the incident?

Perry released a statement on Thursday apologizing for his actions and said he will seek help for his struggles with alcohol. His full statement reads as follows:

“I would like to sincerely apologize to the entire Chicago Blackhawks organization, including ownership, management, coaches, trainers, employees, and my teammates. I would also like to apologize to my fans, and my family.

“I am embarrassed and I have let you all down. As a result of my actions, there has been speculation and rumors. I am sickened by the impact this has had on others, and I want to make it clear that in no way did this situation involve any of my teammates or their families.

“Most importantly, I want to directly apologize to those who have been negatively affected and I am sorry for the additional impact to others it has created. My behavior was inappropriate and wrong."

Blackhawks GM shoots down 'disgusting' rumor about Connor Bedard's mom

After the team placed Perry on waivers, Davidson opened his press conference by refuting a heinous, unsubstantiated rumor about Perry and Bedard’s mother.

Davidson then revealed Perry was involved in an incident with a team employee that happened on Nov. 21 in Columbus.

​​“I just can’t get into specifics because it is an individual personnel matter,” Davidson said.

Alcohol reportedly involved

According to Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff, the incident reportedly was "alcohol-fueled" and allegedly took place in Nashville on Nov. 17. Seravalli added that the incident occurred during a Blackhawks-organized corporate event that included sponsors and team employees in attendance, though he also indicated that the timing, witnesses, and who reported it to the Blackhawks were still unclear.

Incident was not criminal

Davidson was immediately asked if there’s any criminality involving Perry. He paused before stating that “this was a workplace matter” — a phrase he repeated multiple times during the span of his 10-minute press conference when asked about any involvement of law enforcement or criminality.

NHL and NHLPA were informed

Davidson also revealed that the NHL and NHLPA are aware of the details surrounding Perry’s incident.

“The league was understanding of the situation as was the NHLPA. All parties are informed but again, team incident so it’s a team decision.”

Larry Brooks of the New York Post reported that the NHLPA is reviewing the Perry incident and the union has 60 days to file a grievance following the termination of his contract.

Blackhawks players don't know what happened

Davidson stated that the Blackhawks players aren’t aware of the details surrounding the incident. He revealed that he met with the team earlier Tuesday, informing them of the organization’s decision to release Perry. Asked about the players’ reaction, Davidson merely stated they listened and he didn’t indicate whether the players provided any feedback.

Chicago defenseman Seth Jones offered the following comment, per Lazerus.

"He’s a brother and we care about everyone in this room. We don’t have any details of what happened, but I know the organization wants to keep a (level of) conduct here, and a place where we hold each other to a standard. I guess that was broken."