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Former NHL player sues Blackhawks and speaks out about sexual abuse

NOEL KING, HOST:

Kyle Beach, a professional hockey player, has identified himself as the victim in a sexual assault scandal that enveloped the Chicago Blackhawks. Beach reported that a coach assaulted him in 2010, but he said the team's top leaders did nothing about it. A recent report corroborates his account. Here's NPR's Tom Goldman.

TOM GOLDMAN, BYLINE: In May, the man we now know to be Kyle Beach filed a John Doe lawsuit against the Blackhawks, alleging he was sexually assaulted by video coach Brad Aldrich in 2010 and that team officials ignored the accusation. This week, an independent investigation confirmed his claim about upper management. After the findings were made public on Tuesday, two of the top officials still with the team were ousted, including Blackhawks general manager Stan Bowman. Then last night, Beach went on the Canadian network TSN and revealed the impact of an incident he kept buried for the last 11 years.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

KYLE BEACH: So I was scared mostly. I felt alone and dark.

GOLDMAN: Beach was a 20-year-old minor league player in the Blackhawks organization at the time. He said when he reported the alleged assault, he was aware it went up the chain of command. The investigation indicates officials didn't want bad publicity with the team about to play in the Stanley Cup finals. Aldrich kept his job and joined in the celebration after Chicago won.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

BEACH: To see him paraded around, lifting the cup, at the team pictures, at the celebrations - it made me feel like nothing. It made me feel like I didn't exist. It made me feel like that he was in the right and I was wrong.

GOLDMAN: Aldrich resigned from the team and, in 2013, pleaded guilty to criminal sexual conduct involving a minor in Michigan. Beach now plays professionally in Germany. He says after this week's report, he feels vindicated and can start to heal. Late last night, the NHL Players Association acknowledged Beach reported the alleged assault to a union doctor in 2010, but the union failed to act. The Players Association called it a serious failure.

Tom Goldman, NPR News.

(SOUNDBITE OF CORRE'S "TRANSIENT (B)") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

Tom Goldman is NPR's sports correspondent. His reports can be heard throughout NPR's news programming, including Morning Edition and All Things Considered, and on NPR.org.

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SOMOS CONNECTICUT es una iniciativa de Connecticut Public, la emisora local de NPR y PBS del estado, que busca elevar nuestras historias latinas y expandir programación que alza y informa nuestras comunidades latinas locales. Visita CTPublic.org/latino para más reportajes y recursos. Para noticias, suscríbase a nuestro boletín informativo en ctpublic.org/newsletters.

The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.