OHL responds to W5 investigation of alleged sexual assault

Content advisory: This article includes allegations of sexual assault.

The Ontario Hockey League (OHL) has released a statement in response to a recent CTV W5 investigation into an alleged sexual assault in 2014.

Published and broadcast Wednesday, the investigation concerns a reported incident allegedly involving eight former junior hockey players.

“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 reads.

“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 allegations referenced in the W5 story describe a group sexual assault of a then-22-year-old woman who was said to have been in a relationship with an OHL player. The woman says she did not tell her family of the incident until this year.

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

Concluding the statement was a reference to the league’s OHL Onside program, an “annual mandatory workshop” that promotes “the importance of respectful relationships between young men and women in their communities,” and is conducted in collaboration with the Ontario Coalition of Rape Crisis Centres, the statement reads.

With files from W5 investigative correspondent Rick Westhead

Resources for sexual assault survivors in Canada

If you or someone you know is struggling with sexual assault or trauma, the following resources are available to support people in crisis:

If you are in immediate danger or fear for your safety, you should call 911.

A full list of sexual assault centres in Canada that offer information, advocacy and counselling can be found on the website for the Canadian Association of Sexual Assault Centres

Helplines, legal services and locations that offer sexual assault kits in Alberta, B.C., Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Quebec, Ontario and Nova Scotia can be found here

National Residential School Crisis Line: +1 866 925 4419

Canadian Human Trafficking Hotline: +1 833 900 1010

Trans Lifeline: +1 877 330 6366

Sexual misconduct support for current or former members of the Armed Forces: +1 844 750 1648

Read about your rights as a victim here.