Woman alleges sexual assault against eight former OHL players

According to a report by TSN and CTV’s Rick Westhead, a woman has alleged that she was raped by eight former major junior hockey players back in November of 2014.

The woman, whom Westhead refers to with her permission by her middle name Anne Marie, said the sexual assault occurred at one of the player’s billet homes.

At this time, no players, locations, or teams the players were involved with have been released.

According to Westhead, the Ontario Provincial Police acknowledged that an employee did not follow the organization’s policy when the woman contacted the OPP earlier this year. The alleged victim said she contacted the police group in the area where the alleged assault took place. She was told they could not help, and to call local police in the area where she now resides.

In Westhead’s report, the woman, who is now 32, said she was in a consensual relationship with a then-19-year-old OHL player for about half a year. One day, she alleges, she was visiting the player when they started taking part in a consensual act – only for there to be other players in the basement.

“I was taken into a bathroom,” she told CTV News. “And that’s when the player who invited me over began having sex with me – starting sexual acts. They never closed the bathroom door fully… And then next thing I know more players start coming in. There’s players standing and watching. They start taking their turns, doing whatever it is they want.”

According to Westhead, Anne Marie said she first told her family about the assault earlier this year after watching a press conference in London regarding an alleged sexual assault involving five members of Canada’s World Junior Championship team in 2018. Players in that case are still awaiting trial.

The OHL released a statement on Thursday morning, saying they had no previous knowledge of the alleged assault.

“The Ontario Hockey League is aware of a CTV report of a sexual assault alleged to have been committed by OHL players in November 2014,” the statement read. “The OHL first learned of these allegations on Wednesday, and had no previous knowledge of the alleged event. The League takes allegations of this nature very seriously and will cooperate with any corresponding police investigation.

“The OHL recognizes the courage required for victims of sexual assault to come forward with their experiences, and would always desire to see justice served and perpetrators held to account.”