Players in group chat strategized how to respond to Hockey Canada investigation As the trial of five former members of Canada’s 2018 national world junior team continues, newly revealed text messages from a group chat offer a chilling glimpse into the strategies employed by the players as they navigated the initial investigation into an alleged sexual assault. The chat, created for the players staying in room 209 at the Delta Armouries hotel in London, Ontario, during the time of the incident on June 26, 2018, emerged as evidence on Thursday, thanks to testimony from Tyler Steenbergen, a member of the team. Tyler Steenbergen, who provided the chat logs to investigators, answered questions from Crown attorney Heather Donkers. The court heard the chat was initiated by Dillon Dubé following Hockey Canada’s opening of its initial investigation. Included were Carter Hart, Cal Foote, Alex Formenton, and Michael McLeod, alongside Jake Bean, Maxime Comtois, Drake Batherson, and Brett Howden. Notably, none of the players not charged are accused of wrongdoing. However, the exchange reveals a concerted effort to manage the narrative surrounding the events.
Within the chat, players grappled with how to respond to investigators. McLeod sent a message emphasizing consistency: "Can’t have different stories or make anything up." Shortly after, Bean wrote, "No, boys. Like we don’t need to make anything up. No one did anything wrong. We went to that room to eat. The girl came, she wanted to have sex with all of us. No one did. She gave a few guys head, and then we got out of the room when things got too crazy." This account directly contradicts the complainant’s testimony. E.M. – the complainant at the center of the trial – has stated she was sexually assaulted over several hours in the London hotel room. She met the group of players, who were attending a Hockey Canada event celebrating their gold medal, and willingly left with McLeod. She claims she engaged in consensual sex with McLeod but that he invited several teammates into the room without her consent. E.M. described a "detached" experience, going "auto-pilot," and described the events as she experienced them.
Over seven days of cross-examination, defense lawyers argued that E.M. instigated the situation and was the aggressor. Daniel Brown, attorney for Formenton, questioned E.M., asking “are you going to f– me, or play golf?” Dubé advised the group to be cautious about describing the incidents, fearing the complainant’s anger. "Let’s not make her sound like too crazy," he wrote.
On Wednesday, Steenbergen described the atmosphere in the room as awkward and stated he was in disbelief. He and Bean left as soon as the woman went to the bathroom. Steenbergen initially went to the room because he received a text message via group chat saying there was food in McLeod’s room. He witnessed Hart and McLeod receiving oral sex from E.M., as he described it, and saw Foote do the splits over her face. He could not confirm if he made contact with the woman. He emphasized his desire to avoid the situation, stating, "I just didn’t want to step over a naked girl."
As the text messages continued, players expressed disbelief at the investigation’s scope. Said Comtois: “Are you f–ing kidding me?” “That’s ridiculous,” said Bean. “Like this is nothing and we can’t be making this big of a (sic) deal out of it.” The players discussed getting lawyers and reiterated that they did not rape anyone. “We didn’t rape anyone,” Comtois said. Eventually, Bean advised everyone to stop talking about the incident in the group chat and to "talk to your agents about this." The chat ended shortly thereafter.
Steenbergen also revealed he received calls from Dubé and Foote, asking him not to say what he saw and to let them explain. He stated investigators didn’t ask him about those incidents specifically, but would have if they had. This story will be updated. — The Athletic ′s Hailey Salvian and Dan Robson reported remotely from Toronto. (Courtroom sketch of the defendants earlier in the trial by Alexandra Newbould / The Canadian Press via AP)
