Warning: Story contains graphic content about sexual assault.
Further details have emerged in the civil lawsuit against the Chicago Blackhawks brought by a former player.
The amended lawsuit details an incident in May 2010 and states video coach Brad Aldrich turned on pornography at his apartment and began to masturbate in front of the plaintiff, according to Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times, who provided screenshots of the updated lawsuit.
The player attempted to leave, but Aldrich blocked the exit and threatened him with a small baseball bat, the lawsuit states. Additionally, Aldrich verbally threatened the player, saying he'd never play in the NHL again if he didn't engage in nonconsensual sexual activity.
Pope also provides a screenshot from the lawsuit that states that for years after the abuse, the player was subject to homophobic and "humiliating trash talking by his teammates during scrimmages where coaches were present."
The assault allegedly occurred while the Blackhawks were in the 2010 Western Conference Final. Former Chicago assistant coach John Torchetti told TSN in June that team management met to discuss the situation but never brought it to police.
Brent Sopel, a defenseman on the team at the time, said "pretty much every" player knew about it.
The Blackhawks hired a former federal prosecutor in June to conduct an independent, team-financed review of the allegations, which have yet to be tested in court.
Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.