Kyle Beach Comes Forward as “John Doe” in Chicago Blackhawks Sexual Assault Investigation

Sports

The sexual assault investigation into the 2010 Chicago Blackhawks concluded Tuesday with the resignation of GM Stan Bowman and a $2 million fine levied against the Blackhawks. The player at the center of the probe, no pun intended, revealed himself to be former 11^th overall pick in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft Kyle Beach.

In their response to the revelation, the Chicago Blackhawks tweeted out this statement:

A statement from the Chicago Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/x1XbMXDiyA

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) October 27, 2021

“First, we would like to acknowledge and commend Kyle Beach’s courage in coming forward. As an organization, the Chicago Blackhawks reiterate our deepest apologies to him for what he has gone through and for the organization’s failure to promptly respond when he bravely brought this matter to light in 2010. It was inexcusable for the then-executives of the Blackhawks organization to delay taking action regarding the reported sexual misconduct. No playoff game or championship is more important than protecting our players from predatory behavior.

The Blackhawks have implemented numerous changes and improvements within the organization, including hiring a new leadership team that is committed to winning championships while adhering to the highest ethical, professional, and athletic standards.”

Speaking with Rick Westhead during an interview with TSN, the victim of Brad Aldrich’s alleged sexual assault expressed his emotional response following the announcement of the findings of the investigation. “I cried, I smiled, I laughed, I cried some more,” Beach said. “Following it, [I had] just a feeling of relief, vindication, and it was no longer my word against everybody else’s.”

The investigation focused on accusations that Aldrich took advantage of a young Beach, who had been called up for the 2010 playoffs to gain experience, as he spent that season in the minors, capping out at 10 games at the AHL level.

“When they won [the Stanley Cup], to see [Aldrich] paraded around, lifting a Cup at the parade, at the team pictures, at the celebrations, it made me feel like nothing,” said Beach. “It made me feel like I didn’t exist. It made me feel like I wasn’t important.  It made me feel like he was in the right, and I was in the wrong.”

Aldrich exploited the vulnerability of a 20-year-old trying to make a name for himself in the big leagues, the Jenner & Block investigation into the Blackhawks’ cover-up discovered, giving Beach and other high-level prospects inside information about lineups yet telling them he could “bury” their careers if they didn’t comply with his seedy demands.

After the alleged sexual assault – which took place at Aldrich’s residence when he invited Beach to come over and watch a film – Aldrich forced himself on Beach, aggressively performing oral sex on him, and told him to keep quiet.

“I felt like I was alone, and there was nothing I could do and nobody I could turn to for help, and I didn’t know what to do,” Beach said to Westhead in the interview. “As a 20-year-old, you could never imagine being put in this situation by somebody that’s supposed to be there to help you and make you a better hockey player and continue to build your career.”

Beach told his family on a lone occasion, then attempted to repress the event via substance abuse problems that further manifested into a divorce, depression, and anxiety issues. Now 31, he plays overseas professionally in Germany.

What prompted Beach to step forward was learning of a previous sexual assault involving a Michigan high schooler and Aldrich in 2013. “Because of what happened to him, it gave me the power and the sense of urgency to take action – to make sure it wouldn’t happen to anybody else. I hope at some point, down the road, if he’s open to it, I would love to meet [the other victim].”

Beach claimed to have witnessed meetings where the assaults perpetrated by Aldrich were happening with former head coach Joel Quenneville in his office. “There’s absolutely no way he can deny knowing it,” Beach added. He also said he believes more of the Blackhawks roster knew about Aldrich’s penchants for “helping out the boys” because “word spreads pretty quick” – he was bullied with comments about it in the locker room and on the ice.

“The healing process is just beginning,” he said. “But the one thing that I want to make sure comes from this is change. I would love to be a part of a group that comes up [with] and design a system to make sure that there is a safe place in the sports world [for all abuse victims].”