2018 Canadian World Junior team: Who has said what?

Some players on that team have been forthcoming about the alleged gang rape in 2018, others not as much

Some members of Canada’s 2018 World Junior team have made statements, either on their own or through their agents/lawyers.

Shortly after Rick Westhead of TSN first published that a settlement had been reached by Hockey Canada in a lawsuit for an alleged gang rape in that involved members of the 2018 Canadian World Junior team, I reached out to the agents who represent each player on that team to ask whether their clients had cooperated with the investigation, what they discussed with investigators and whether their clients wanted to say anything on the record about the alleged incident. I ultimately heard from representatives of five of the 22 players.

At the time, there were some people who accused me of conducting a “witch hunt”, that reckless and potentially damaging. Those people thought that the players who chose not to respond to me would be considered guilty in the court of public opinion. It was never a witch hunt. The purpose of my attempt was to try to lift a veil of secrecy that I knew was ultimately going to be lifted anyway the moment the alleged incident was reported. I didn’t think it was fair that the players who had nothing to do with the incident would be forced to answer for something of which they had no part.

And now it seems there are a growing number of players who agree. Knowing that people can do their own investigating, players are now putting out their own statements claiming their innocence. And those who may have been involved in whatever happened now have a team of lawyers that is leaking information out about the incident that puts their clients in a favourable light.

Between myself, the staff at Global News and players who have decided to put out statements on their own, a good number of players have publicly responded. Here is what each player on the team has had to say so far. (This list will be updated if any other players put out statements.)