Chicago Blackhawks fired athletic trainer D.J. Jones after sexual harassment investigation, team confirms
Blackhawks sexual assault probe leads to GM resignation, team fined
The Chicago Blackhawks mishandled allegations that an assistant coach sexually assaulted a player during the team’s Stanley Cup run in 2010, according to an investigation commissioned by the franchise that cast a shadow over the NHL on Tuesday.
CHICAGO - The Chicago Blackhawks said on Sunday night that they fired athletic trainer D.J. Jones last year after a sexual harassment investigation.
The Blackhawks said in a statement on Sunday "Recently, when allegations of sexual harassment in 2014 by D.J. Jones, the head athletic trainer for the Rockford IceHogs, were reported to the Blackhawks on October 27, 2021, we adhered to our new protocols and procedures, suspended Mr. Jones, conducted an in depth investigation over 5 days and, following the conclusive results, terminated Mr. Jones on November 3, 2021."
The Blackhawks are still facing fallout from the actions of sex predator Brad Aldrich. Aldrich left the Blackhawks in 2010 after assaulting a player, worked at Notre Dame for two years, then was only at Miami University for a few months before he allegedly assaulted two people there. Then he went on to volunteer with a youth hockey program in Michigan, where he was finally arrested after he assaulted a 16-year-old boy.
The accusations against Aldrich came out in 2021, and led to the resignation of GM Stan Bowman. Blackhawks owner Rocky Wirtz lashed out last week when he was publicly questioned about the Aldrich case, then apologized.
On Sunday night, the Blackhawks statement continued: "Under our new leadership, we have made it crystal clear that nothing is more important than the safety and well-being of our players and employees, and there is a zero-tolerance policy for any violation of our standards of conduct in our organization. We have done a lot of work to ensure an environment where employees are encouraged to feel safe coming forward, even if it is about wrongdoing that occurred in the past."