Kyle Beach teammate sues Blackhawks, accuses former coach Brad Aldrich of sexual assault in 2010
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A second player from the Blackhawks' 2010 Stanley Cup championship team has filed a lawsuit accusing management of covering up sexual harassment and sexual assaults by disgraced former video coach Brad Aldrich.
The player, identified in the lawsuit only as "John Doe," was a member of the Blackhawks' "Black Aces" squad alongside teammate Kyle Beach in 2010. Describing Aldrich as a "sexual predator," the lawsuit filed in Cook County Circuit Court on Thursday claims the former coach groomed, harassed, threatened, and assaulted Doe during the 2009-10 season.
The Black Aces were a team of Blackhawks prospects who were promoted from the team's minor league affiliate Rockford IceHogs to potentially fill in for the team's regular players if needed during the playoffs.
Beach also sued the Blackhawks over similar claims against Aldrich, and reached a confidential settlement with the team in 2021.
Doe's lawsuit echoes many of the sexual assault and harassment claims Beach lodged against Aldrich.
According to Doe's lawsuit, during the season, Aldrich arranged for Doe to get massages at the team hotel while the team was traveling for road games, and over the course of the season, Aldrich's behavior became overtly and aggressively sexual.
Specifically, the lawsuit claims Aldrich:
- hosted Doe and others at his home, where he tried to get them to watch pornographic movies with him,
- offered Doe and a woman the use of his bedroom to have sex, then sneaked into the room while they were having sex, "and tried to insert himself into the encounter, making his presence first known by playing with JOHN DOE's feet in the dark."
- offered to pay for Doe "to receive sexual favors from a masseuse if Coach Aldrich could watch,"
- on multiple occasions, grabbed Doe from behind "in a hugging gesture, and ground his penis against JOHN DOE's back and buttocks through his clothes,"
- sent Doe harassing text messages,
- and used threats to Doe's career to coerce him into not reporting Aldrich's actions.
Doe's lawsuit against the Blackhawks accuses the team of "acting with an utter indifference and/or conscious disregard for the safety of its employees" after Doe reported his allegations to members of the training and coaching staff.
The lawsuit says Doe "has suffered and continues to suffer injuries and damages, including without limitation great pain of body and mind; shock; severe and permanent emotional distress; embarrassment; loss of self-esteem; disgrace; humiliation; loss of enjoyment of life; and has incurred and will continue to incur severe psychological injury and expenses for medical and psychological treatment, therapy and counseling."
The Chicago Tribune reports "John Doe" also was a key witness in the Jenner & Block investigation in 2021 determined former general manager Stan Bowman and other team executives failed to promptly investigate claims Aldrich had sexually assaulted players in 2010.
Bowman was forced to resign in 2021, after the findings of the Jenner & Block report were made public. The report found that Aldrich was allowed to resign after the Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup in 2010 after being given the option to either quit or face an investigation into allegations of sexual harassment and assault.
In a statement in response to Doe's lawsuit, the Blackhawks said they "take allegations of workplace misconduct and organizational response very seriously, and it's why, over two years ago, we commissioned an extensive independent investigation into the troubling events that occurred in 2010.
We've changed as a result of what happened and implemented numerous positive improvements throughout our organization to ensure the safety and wellbeing of our players and employees. This includes completely rebuilding the leadership team with personnel who demonstrate our values and bring the right subject matter expertise in the critical areas of compliance and human resources, an expansive mental health program, and new reporting mechanisms and training for all employees.
Until we learn more about this pending litigation, we will refrain from commenting with any additional specifics."