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Blackhawks Fire AHL Trainer After Sexual Harassment Allegations

The Chicago Blackhawks fired a longtime minor-league trainer in November after he was accused of sexual harassment.

 

The alleged harassment by Rockford IceHogs trainer D.J. Jones occurred in 2014, the Blackhawks said Sunday night in a statement. The allegations were reported to the team on Oct. 27, a day after it released a report by an outside law firm that found the organization mishandled allegations that an assistant coach sexually assaulted a player in 2010.

 

ESPN was the first to report on the accusations against Jones.

 

The Blackhawks said in their statement under our new leadership, nothing is more important than the safety and well-being of its players and employees, and there is a zero-tolerance policy for any violation of the standards of conduct in the organization.

 

Jones was in his 16th season with the IceHogs of the American Hockey League. John Walter was promoted to head athletic trainer after Jones’ departure.

 

The Blackhawks’ announcement comes as the organization is working to rebuild its reputation after the October report by Jenner & Block detailed how senior leaders with the team largely ignored Kyle Beach’s allegations after he said he was assaulted by then-video coach Brad Aldrich just days before the team won its first Stanley Cup title since 1961.

 

Longtime general manager Stan Bowman resigned after the team received the report, and it also played a role in the departure of Al MacIsaac, another top hockey executive. The NHL fined the team $2 million for “the organization’s inadequate internal procedures and insufficient and untimely response.”

 

Two lawsuits related to Beach’s allegations were resolved in December. But three more people are weighing suits against the Blackhawks for the team’s handling of the matter, according to a Chicago attorney representing the men.

 

Facing questions Wednesday for the first time since the law firm’s report, owner Rocky Wirtz angrily refused to address how the team handled Beach’s accusations. Wirtz, 69, ended up apologizing for his reaction.

 

A day later, Wirtz said he should have let his son, Danny, the Blackhawks’ CEO, and President of Business Operations Jaime Faulkner share the organization’s work when it comes to improving the culture.

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