Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Ian Cole was accused Friday on Twitter of sexually assaulting a teenage girl. The team announced its suspension “pending the results of an investigation”.
Posted at 6:28 p.m.
Updated at 8:31 p.m.
“The Tampa Bay Lightning are aware of the allegations against player Ian Cole and are fully cooperating with an investigation with the NHL,” spokesman Brian Breseman said in a statement late Sunday. “Our organization takes these allegations very seriously. »
The NHL, through its assistant commissioner Bill Daly, had earlier confirmed to various media, including The Athletic and ESPN, that she was “aware” of the serious allegations against Ian Cole, and that she was “going to look into it”.
In a long publication, a young woman using the pseudonym “Emily Smith” explains that the facts would have taken place over a period of four years, when she was still in secondary school and a minor. She maintains that the player was aware of her age.
The alleged victim recounts having been forced to have sexual intercourse, and having been the victim of psychological manipulation with sexual aims (“grooming”). She adds that there would be at least one other victim, and that Cole would have bragged about it to teammates.
The allegations have not been tested in court.
The facts related are not dated, but they would have taken place while Cole had been playing in the NHL “for a few years”. He started his career with the St. Louis Blues in the 2010-2011 season.
“It took me years to find the courage to talk about it,” writes Emily Smith. She does so anonymously “because, unfortunately, I believe this is the only way to express myself transparently without suffering harassment or retaliation”.
The alleged victim believes that Cole felt he had the right “to sexually and emotionally abuse” her and others, as the NHL allows a “culture of misogyny” conducive to “misogynistic and predatory behavior”.