It will take years for the Chicago Blackhawks to remove the stench of the organization’s mishandling of sexual assault allegations against former video coach Brad Aldrich.
After a bombshell report by investigators from Chicago law firm Jenner & Block revealed that former Hawks President John McDonough, general manager Stan Bowman and former coach Joel Quenneville were all part of a meeting discussing the allegations in May 2010 — yet did nothing about it until the Stanley Cup Final had concluded three weeks later — the only thing the Hawks owners can do is beg for everyone’s forgiveness and find a leader who can bring trust back to the organization.
Their first step Tuesday — after Hawks Chairman Rocky Wirtz and his son, CEO Danny Wirtz, made sure to let everyone know they knew nothing of the allegations until the first lawsuit was filed this past May — was to get Bowman to hand in his resignation, replacing him on an interim basis with Kyle Davidson.
Bowman in turn released a statement in which he basically blamed McDonough for not handling the incident. Thus he leaves the Hawks in the same manner he operated as their GM, with a smirk and no real acceptance of responsibility for his actions.
For years Hawks fans wondered how the Wirtzes could continue to allow Bowman to run the franchise into the ground with so many poor free-agent signings and trades. Now we know. Their respect for Bowman is so deeply ingrained, they allowed him to resign instead of firing him, as any other corporation would do to an employee involved in a similar mishandling of an alleged sexual assault.
So Bowman was given carte blanche to ditch the rebuild plan this past summer and make a series of big moves that theoretically would restore the franchise to relevance. Now it all has come crashing down in stunning fashion, and Bowman’s incompetence in personnel matters turned out to be the least of his concerns.
Danny Wirtz said Bowman “exhibited extreme professionalism and integrity” while cooperating with investigators, adding that if the incident had happened in 2021 with Bowman in charge, “the Stan that I know, and we know, would’ve acted differently and been a louder voice in that room.”
The Stan he knows was in that room in 2010, by the way, and was as culpable as the rest of the executives who buried the incident until the Stanley Cup was safely in their possession.
What we now have is a winless team without an experienced GM, a head coach in Jeremy Colliton who seems destined for a new and exciting career as an Uber driver, the team’s two biggest stars — Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane — in the COVID-19 protocol, the end of a 535-game streak of sellouts at the United Center and a sordid scandal that threatens to damage both the organization and the entire NHL.
The league fined the team $2 million for “inadequate internal procedures and insufficient and untimely response,” and Commissioner Gary Bettman still has to deal with the two remaining NHL employees from the fateful meeting: Quenneville, now coaching the Florida Panthers, and former assistant general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff, now the GM of the Winnipeg Jets.
The report is difficult to read, both for its graphic descriptions of the allegations against Aldrich and for the stunning arrogance by Hawks management in trying to make the story disappear as the team chased its first Stanley Cup since 1961. It said the team’s director of human resources recalled McDonough telling her they decided not to alert her or outside legal counsel of the incident during the playoffs so it would not “disturb team chemistry.”
According to the report, McDonough told investigators it was “hard for him to imagine that a non-consensual sexual encounter occurred between” the victim and Aldrich because the player was so much bigger than Aldrich. Even after realizing the incident may have been reported to his superiors, Aldrich apparently was so brazen, he allegedly propositioned a 22-year-old male intern in the organization during a celebration of the Stanley Cup clincher on June 10 in Chicago, grabbing him between his legs, according to the report.
The employee recalled he did not report the proposition because Aldrich’s father worked for the San Jose Sharks and he needed him for a potential reference. Three days later, Aldrich was celebrating with the Hawks, the Stanley Cup, the Cubs and the White Sox on the infield at Wrigley Field, a day before McDonough first informed the director of human resources of the incident, the report said.
Two days later, Aldrich was given the option of resigning or going through an investigation while taking a leave of absence. Aldrich chose the former, telling investigators he was afraid his sexuality would be revealed. Amazingly, he was paid another $20,622 in severance, minus taxes and withholding, and even received a $15,000 playoff bonus.
The report stated Aldrich “requested to partake in the tradition of hosting the Stanley Cup for a day” in his hometown in Michigan, and the request was granted. Not only would he quietly depart, Aldrich would enjoy the spoils of the Hawks success with the time-honored tradition of everyone having their day with the Cup.
While the player may have lived in fear that his career would be over, Aldrich was free to celebrate and go on with his life as though nothing had happened. He allegedly continued the pattern of disturbing behavior, leading to another allegation of sexual assault by a high school hockey player in 2013. He pleaded guilty to fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct involving a student, served nine months in jail, received five years of probation and had to register as a sex offender.
Lawsuits from the former Hawks player and the high school hockey player accused the organization of negligence in its handling of the initial complaints against Aldrich. The Wirtzes said Tuesday they will try to come to a fair settlement with the former Hawks player.
While witness accounts differ of the incident between Aldrich and the former Hawks player and the team’s response, the report states: “What is clear is that, after being informed of Aldrich’s alleged sexual harassment and misconduct with a player, no action was taken for three weeks.”
McDonough was fired during the pandemic-caused NHL shutdown in April 2020 and never has spoken publicly about his dismissal. Bowman’s statement suggests he still doesn’t accept responsibility, saying he knew of the “serious allegation” only this year and “regret(s) assuming” his superior, McDonough, was going to “handle the matter promptly” after their meeting.
If his defense is being clueless, at least Bowman can be thankful Hawks fans would vouch for him in that regard.
The Hawks play host to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday at the UC, hoping to end their winless streak against an Original Six rival and convince fans they still can salvage the 2021-22 season.
But now it’s not just about the season. The Hawks have a ton of work to do to rebuild trust with their fan base. Hiring someone such as NBC Sports Chicago analyst Eddie Olczyk as the next GM would at least provide them with a leader fans know to be honest and intelligent. Whomever they hire, transparency is a must.
“We must and will do better,” Danny Wirtz said. “What the Chicago Blackhawks do off the ice is equally as important as anything we do on it.”
Sounds good. Now prove you mean it.
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