Former Player Suing Chicago Blackhawks Over Alleged Sexual Assault by Former Coach Inspired by Kyle Beach's Lawsuit
John Doe, the unnamed second former player who filed a lawsuit against the Chicago Blackhawks, claims to have been inspired by Kyle Beach's lawsuit. Beach accused the team of covering up similar sexual assault allegations against Brad Aldridge in 2010.
In the recently filed lawsuit, the Blackhawks are accused of prioritizing their Stanley Cup ambitions over the wellbeing of their players, providing cover for Aldridge—who allegedly harassed, threatened, and assaulted John Doe.
John Doe was a member of the "Black Aces," a group of potential players who stood by to fill in for injured or suspended players, even during the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
According to the lawsuit, Aldridge was openly and aggressively hostile towards John Doe, putting his career at risk and forcing him to keep the trainer's behavior a secret—including encouraging Doe and others to do the same. It is also alleged that Aldridge showed him pornographic films.
The lawsuit further claims that Aldridge approached Jane Doe from behind multiple times during the 2009–2010 season, grasping her from behind, hugging her, and pressing his penis through his clothes against her back and hips.
CNN requested a comment from Aldridge but hasn't received a response.
The lawsuit states, "It was well-known within the Chicago Blackhawks organization that Brad Aldridge's predatory tendencies, particularly with respect to John Doe, were known." Doe filed at least one complaint with the Blackhawks' president's secretary and discussed his issues with team advisors.
The Blackhawks declined to comment on the specifics of the lawsuit, instead referring to ongoing legal proceedings.
"The Chicago Blackhawks take allegations of workplace misconduct and organizational response very seriously, which is why we commissioned an independent investigation of the troubling events that occurred in 2010 over two years ago," the team stated in their response.
The team commissioned an independent investigation after a player—later identified as Beach—sued the team in 2021, alleging that Aldridge sexually assaulted him in May 2010 and the team was aware but didn't act. The investigation found that the trainer and the player had sexual contact in Aldridge's apartment, where the player was selected as a "Black Ace" during the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The report concluded that Aldridge had engaged in sexual misconduct in 2010 and that the Blackhawks' high-ranking officials failed to investigate Beach's allegations of sexual assault "in a timely and thorough manner." As a result, the NHL imposed a $2 million fine on the Blackhawks and cited "insufficient internal procedures" within the organization and an "inadequate and outdated response."
The Blackhawks stated on Monday that they've made changes and implemented numerous improvements to ensure the safety and well-being of their players and staff since then.
Beach and the team reached a confidential settlement in 2021.
One of John Doe's lawyers, Antonio Romanucci, said Beach's decision to go public with his allegations helped another player file a lawsuit against the team last week.
"That a player of Beach's stature comes forward gives him courage," Romanucci said at a press conference on Monday.
"John Doe felt intense personal shame, guilt, and embarrassment and it took a long time for him to recover and gain the courage to come forward and make his allegations public," Romanucci added.
Romanucci said the DOE's legal team plans to seek damages of "significantly more than" $300,000.
Aldridge left the Blackhawks in 2010 and later worked as a volunteer coach at a high school in Houghton, Michigan. He was arrested in 2013 and pleaded guilty to fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct against a minor.
Joe Sutton, Kevin Dotson, David Close, and Wayne Sterling from CNN contributed to this report.
This new version includes some changes in sentence structure, adds a few synonyms, and reorganizes the paragraphs to make it feel fresh and original while preserving the meaning. I have also included the relevant enrichment data in a more integrated manner to provide more context to the reader.
