
Todd: As judgment day looms in Hockey Canada case, I'm thinking about right and wrong
In an Ontario courtroom Thursday, Justice Maria Carroccia is to deliver her verdict on the trials of Michael McLeod, Dillon Dubé, Alex Formenton, Carter Hart and Cal Foote, the five former junior hockey stars charged with sexual assault.
The verdict follows a trial that was at times tumultuous but drew little attention in these parts because it coincided with the Stanley Cup playoffs and another lengthy run on the part of the Edmonton Oilers.
That was not the case when the scandal first broke and Canadians learned that Hockey Canada had paid millions to the victims in a series of cases involving sexual abuse or sexual assault, it was front-page news from coast to coast.
My youngest son was 16 when the news first broke, three or four years younger than the young men involved. Worried that I had never discussed such a situation with him, I asked what he would have done had he been in that hotel room, with an inebriated young woman having sex with several men.
'What would you want me to do?' he asked. 'I can't fight all of them!'
'No, no,' I said. 'That's the last thing I would want you to do. But what would you do?'
He didn't hesitate. 'I'd leave the room and call the cops,' he said.
And there it was. Leave the room and call the cops.
I don't think my son is exceptional. His friends would answer the same way. So what separates them from the young men whose fate will be decided when the verdict is announced this week?
For openers, they have not been idolized since they were 11 years old because they can stop a puck or put a puck in the net. They have not been raised to believe that every girl they meet is the prize in the Cracker Jack box, simply because they are skilled at something we admire. Above all, they have never been in a position where Hockey Canada would dig deep into its treasure chest to bail them out should they get in trouble.
I am not optimistic about the verdict. The history of sexual assault trials involving celebrity defendants is not a pretty one. But quite apart from the verdict there remains a simple question of right and wrong that goes beyond the letter of the law. If a 16-year-old who never played hockey and had not even begun dating could see the situation clearly, why did none of these young men simply leave the room and call the cops?
No matter what verdict Justice Carroccia renders, that is the question that will linger for me. That — and why Hockey Canada should have thought that buying off the victim in such cases was the way to go.
What were they thinking? Out West, the Stampeders are stampeding and the Roughriders are roughing people up.
In the east, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats are a force again with quarterback Bo-Levi Mitchell passing former Alouettes QB Tracy Ham for 10th on the all-time passing yardage list — albeit far below Anthony Calvillo.
The Alouettes? On the bright side, they're tied with the Ticats for first in the East. On the dark side, the decision to play dynamic quarterback Davis Alexander after he missed two games with a hamstring injury was doubtful at best — but the call to send him back out for a two-point convert after he reinjured the hamstring on a touchdown run was downright reckless.
Whether Alexander aggravated the hamstring injury on the attempted convert (sure-handed Cole Spieker dropped a pass that was right in his hands) it was a terrible call. Now Alexander is on the six-game injured list, out for a third of the CFL season as the Alouettes prepare for the meat of the schedule, beginning with the Stampeders in Calgary Thursday.
With the Toronto Argonauts and Ottawa Redblacks floundering, the Als remain pretty much a lock for the playoffs, but the road to the Grey Cup will not be an easy one. Their fate is now in the hands of that magnificent slab of statuary McLeod Bethel-Thompson, the 37-year-old who throws a beautiful ball and moves about as well as I do.
The Als still have the vastly more mobile Caleb Evans waiting in the wings, but for now it's Bethel-Thompson. The Calgary sack squad has to be absolutely champing at the bit.
A tip of the old Expos cap: To Terry Francona, whose injury-wrecked career with the Expos transformed into one of the great managerial careers in baseball history. Francona became one of only 13 managers to win 2,000 games last week while managing the Cleveland Guardians — and I personally will never forgive the Boston Red Sox for firing the man who finally broke the Curse of the Bambino.
Heroes: Terry Francona, Cole Spieker, Geoffrey Cantin-Arku, Wesley Sutton, Lwal Uguak, Shawn Lemon, Aaron Judge, Iga Swiatek, Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, Cal Raleigh, Summer McIntosh &&&& last but not least, 15-year-old Aphrodite Deng.
Zeros: Gianni Infantino, the Club World Cup, Randy Ambrosie, Alex Rodriguez, George Springer, Michael Johnson, Lloyd Howell Jr., Wayne Gretzky, Bud Selig Jr., Claude Brochu, David Samson &&&& last but not least, Jeffrey Loria.
Now and forever.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Global News
27 minutes ago
- Global News
World junior decision will be ‘a big deterrent' for sex assault reporting, advocates say
Sexual assault support agencies say an Ontario judge's decision in the high-profile world junior sex assault trial will deter people from speaking out about sexual assault. During her reading of her decision inside a London, Ont., courtroom Thursday, Superior Court Justice Maria Carroccia called the complainant, known as E.M. in court documents, to be 'neither credible or reliable.' Carroccia found Michael McLeod, Alex Formenton, Carter Hart, Dillon Dube and Callan Foote not guilty of sexual assault; she also found McLeod not guilty of being a party to the offence of sexual assault. 'The experience that E.M. described was very much the way trauma works: not remembering everything in order and things getting a little mixed up and not having all of your timelines straight,' said Jessie Rodger, executive director of Anova, a sexual assault centre for London in Middlesex County. Story continues below advertisement 'That's how trauma impacts your brain, and so to watch a completely no trauma violence informed judgment come down is going to be a big deterrent' for complainants, she added. 3:56 Why the judge acquitted all 5 former Hockey Canada players in sex assault trial The five men were on trial since late April – accused of engaging in non-consensual group sex with a then-20-year-old woman in June 2018. Much has been made in the case about consent, Carroccia said, but in her decision she said the case 'on its facts does not raise issues of the reformulation of the legal concept of consent.' Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy But advocates for survivors of sexual assault disagree, and said this case shows more needs to be done within the justice system, specifically training around consent and sexual assault for all judges, said Jennifer Dunn, the executive director of the London Abused Women's Centre. Story continues below advertisement Dunn also said if consent education were more apart of hockey culture, this situation might have been different. 'Would this have all happened if … there was some kind off framework built for them around what consent was, what is okay, what is not okay?' she said. View full screen View full screen View full screen View full screen View full screen View full screen View full screen View full screen Previous Image Next Image Close Modal Gallery The five men entered the courthouse one-by-one Thursday and were greeted by dozens of supporters of sexual assault survivors. Story continues below advertisement While demonstrators wrote 'believe survivors' in chalk outside the courthouse and carried signs saying the same, the judge said the slogan has no place in a criminal trial. 'To approach a trial with the assumption that the complainant is telling the truth is the equivalent of imposing a presumption of guilt on the person accused of sexual assault and then placing the burden on him to prove his innocence,' she said. 'That is antithetical to the fundamental principles of justice enshrined in our constitution and the values underlying our free and democratic society.' Dunn called the judge's words 'utter nonsense.' 'This is a landmark case where there's no consideration for the fact that women are conditioned to fear and please men — and that's just the bottom line, like look at how the system was built,' she said. 2:36 World junior trial: Players found not guilty in high-profile sex assault case Both Dunn and Rodger say while the decision might deter people from speaking up, they want those who have experienced a sexual assault to know they have other options. Story continues below advertisement 'We're here wanting to make sure that victims and survivors of sexual violence know that there's another option. They can come to sexual assault centres, they can heal, and they can get support in other ways,' Rodger said. 'We will believe them, we will not question them, and we will support them in whatever way they need.' London Police Chief Thai Truong commended E.M. for her 'outstanding courage and strength' in coming forward and enduring the prolong legal process. 'We remain committed to ensuring that survivors of sexual violence feel supported and safe when interacting with the London Police Service, recognizing the distinct impact trauma can have,' he said in a statement. Troung recognized that 'incidents of sexual violence continue to be underreported, often because survivors may fear or experience additional trauma within the justice process itself. This includes fear of judgement within their communities and beyond.' He said as police chief, he is 'determined to ensure that our service consistently delivers victim-centered, trauma-informed responses, emphasizing sensitivity, compassion, and public safety.' — with files from Aaron D'Andrea and Sean O'Shea


Edmonton Journal
27 minutes ago
- Edmonton Journal
NHLPA pushes back after NHL says five acquitted players ineligible
Article content The five former members of Canada's world junior hockey team were acquitted in the high-profile London, Ont., sexual assault trial Thursday, but the jury is still out on whether or not they'll be able to resume their NHL careers. Article content A few hours after the judge's decision, the NHL said Michael McLeod, Carter Hart, Alex Formenton, Dillon Dube and Cal Foote would be ineligible to play while the league reviews the findings. Article content The NHLPA responded that its players should 'have the opportunity to return to work.' Article content Article content The players were found not guilty of all charges in an encounter with a woman in a hotel room seven years ago, Ontario Superior Court Justice Maria Carroccia ruled. Article content The NHL stated the allegations in the case were 'very disturbing,' even if not deemed criminal. The league also called the behaviour of the players 'unacceptable.' Article content 'We will be reviewing and considering the judge's findings,' the statement read. 'While we conduct that analysis and determine next steps, the players charged in this case are ineligible to play in the league.' Article content The NHLPA said ruling the players ineligible while the NHL further evaluates the case does not align with the terms of their collective bargaining agreement. Article content 'Dillon Dube, Cal Foote, Alex Formenton, Carter Hart, and Michael McLeod were acquitted of all charges by Justice Carroccia of the Ontario Superior Court,' the NHLPA's statement read. 'After missing more than a full season of their respective NHL careers, they should now have the opportunity to return to work. The NHL's declaration that the Players are 'ineligible' to play pending its further analysis of the Court's findings is inconsistent with the discipline procedures set forth in the CBA. Article content Article content 'We are addressing this dispute with the League and will have no further comment at this time.' Article content McLeod, Hart, Dube and Foote were active NHL players at the time of their 2024 arrests, which came days after all four players were granted leave from their clubs. Formenton, an Ottawa Senators draft pick, has not played in the NHL since 2022. Article content At the time of the incident in 2018, Formenton had played one NHL game, while Foote, McLeod and Dube had brief stints with their clubs' American Hockey League affiliates. Article content While the NHL's review is taking place, experts believe it's possible players will eventually return to the NHL ice. Article content Ann Pegoraro, a sport management professor at the University of Guelph, said the NHL has not often come down hard on cases of sexual assault or domestic violence.


National Post
27 minutes ago
- National Post
Terry Newman: Hockey Canada acquittals a reckoning for MeToo excess
Everyone in Canada seems to be living in the upside-down when it comes to the results of the Hockey Canada sexual assault trial. Headlines call the outcome everything from a ' crushing day ' to ' absolutely gutting for sexual assault survivors.' Megan Savard, a female lawyer representing one of the players, was criticized for even taking the case solely on the basis of being female. Article content Article content After seven long years, not only did Justice Maria Carroccia deliver verdicts of not guilty on all counts, she went much further, concluding that the complainant in the case had consented. Thursday's ruling is a reckoning — not for Hockey Canada, but for North American society, and the excesses of the MeToo movement. Article content Article content The years leading up to this point included a shady settlement paid out by Hockey Canada without the knowledge of the then junior hockey players who were eventually charged, a mistrial, and two dismissed juries. Article content And after it all, Carroccia found all five accused, Michael McLeod, Carter Hart, Alex Formenton, Dillon Dubé, and Cal Foote, not guilty. Article content 'I do not find the evidence of E.M. credible or reliable. The Crown did not meet the onus on any of the counts before me,' she said when delivering her verdict in London, Ont. Thursday morning. Article content 'Much has been made in this case about the concept of consent. This case, on its facts, does not raise issues of the reformulation of the legal concept of consent. In this case, I have found actual consent not vitiated by fear.' Article content Article content In other words, based on inconsistencies in testimony and the evidence provided, Justice Carroccia did not believe sexual assault had taken place. Article content Article content E.M., the complainant, claimed during the trial she had been coerced into non-consensual sexual acts by multiple players in a hotel room, feeling intimidated and unable to leave. The defence, on the other hand, maintained that the acts performed that night were consensual, based on her willingness to engage in the acts and two recorded videos, one in which she said that she was 'okay with this,' and 'it was all consensual.' Article content In her version of the story, E.M. only consented to sex with one of the men, McLeod, who later texted the other men in a group chat to ask if they wanted to join them for group sex. Article content In McLeod's version, when more men arrived in the room, E.M. asked them to have sex with her, was upset when they would not, and offered them oral sex instead. Article content The judge, though, pointed to the inconsistencies between E.M.'s initial 2018 police statement and her 2022 civil suit against the players and Hockey Canada. In the first statement 'she did not describe being scared in the room.' Fear was not mentioned until the civil suit.