OHL Responds To Report Of Alleged Sexual Assault By Former Junior Hockey Players

Warning: This article includes allegations of sexual assault.

A day after allegations of sexual assault surfaced involving several OHL players from 10 years ago, the major junior league released a statement recognizing the "courage" of the alleged victim.

On Wednesday, CTV's Rick Westhead reported that a 32-year-old woman had contacted the Ontario Provincial Police in February to report an incident of sexual assault from November 2014, which involved as many as eight former junior hockey players.

"The OHL first learned of these allegations on Wednesday and had no previous knowledge of the alleged event," the league said in a written statement. "The league takes allegations of this nature very seriously and will co-operate with any corresponding police investigation. The OHL recognizes the courage required for victims of sexual assault to come forward with their experiences, and would always desire to see justice served and perpetrators held to account."

According to Westhead's report from CTV's investigative program, W5, the alleged victim said she was in a consensual relationship with a player for about six months when the alleged assault took place.

She was 22 at the time. Her partner was 19.

The name of the alleged victim was not made public, but Westhead said CTV received permission from the woman to go by her middle name, Anne Marie. No details were released regarding the city where the alleged incident took place or the OHL team or teams the players involved in the allegation played for.

In November of 2014, Anne Marie said she was invited to the 19-year-old's billet home to watch TV with him and another teammate. But when she arrived and went into the basement, she discovered there were actually eight players in total. The 19-year-old took her into the bathroom for what she said began as "fooling around" and a consensual act.

Anne Marie said the player started sexual acts, but never closed the bathroom door fully. She said that more players eventually started entering the bathroom, allegedly standing, watching and taking turns in alleged sexual assault.

“You're stuck in the basement with eight junior hockey players,” she told CTV. “Trapped in a corner, literally in the far back room of a basement.”

Anne Marie said the alleged group sexual assault lasted about 90 minutes, until she felt she had a chance to leave.

She said that while she drove home, she had told one of her friends what had happened over the phone. The CTV report said it contacted the female friend, who said she recalled the alleged victim saying she didn't know whether to report what happened to police because some of the players were as young as 16, and might have been pressured by the 19-year-old to take part.

The alleged victim said she only told her family this year after watching a February press conference by London Police regarding an investigation into another allegation of group sexual assault. That investigation led to five players on the 2018 Canadian world junior team awaiting trial for sexual assault charges.

She said she reported the 2014 incident to the Ontario Provincial Police on Feb. 28 of this year. The OPP told CTV in an email that one of its employees did not follow its policy of connecting the alleged victim to the appropriate person and remaining on the phone until the connection is made and the report is initiated.

An OPP spokeswoman told CTV that alleged sexual assault victims in Ontario must file reports with the police force in the jurisdiction where the alleged assault took place. The alleged victim said when she contacted the police force where the incident took place, she was told to call police in the community where she lives.

The allegations have not been tested in court at this time.

If you or someone you know is struggling with sexual assault or trauma, there are services and resources that can help. If you are in danger or fear for your safety, call 911.

In Canada, the Government of Canada has a search tool for sexual misconduct support and care services provided by either provincial, territorial and community-based institutions and organizations or the Canadian Armed Forces. Endingviolencecanada.org also has a list of sexual assault centers, crisis lines and support services.

The Canadian Human Trafficking Hotline phone number is 1-833-900-1010.

In the United States, the National Sexual Violence Resource Center has a directory of organizations that list state and territory coalitions, support organizations and more.

The National Sexual Assault Telephone Hotline in the USA can be reached at 1-800-656-4673, or you can access the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network's online chat service.