Does Victoriaville Tigres general manager Kevin Cloutier still have the legitimacy to hold office? Yes, assures the commissioner of the Maritimes Quebec Junior Hockey League, Mario Cecchini.
This is what Mr. Cecchini indicated in a telephone interview with The Pressat the end of the day on Tuesday, the day after the conviction of former Victoriaville Tigres players Nicolas Daigle and Massimo Siciliano for sexual assault.
During the proceedings, which concluded on Monday with the pronouncement of the sentence, it was revealed that Mr. Cloutier had seen a video of the sexual assault in question, which occurred in June 2021.
“To us, these were not new facts. This was discussed with the police three years ago and Kevin cooperated fully,” Cecchini said. “As soon as the charges were filed, the Tigers were in agreement with the league on a full suspension of the players. Kevin cooperated. And this is not a video of the assault. He did not see an assault and say, I don’t care. You don’t see a face on the video, there is no context.”
At the time of writing, the Victoriaville Tigers had not responded to the interview request from The Press. At Quebec JournalMr. Cloutier defended himself.
As soon as I saw the video, I told him [à Nicolas Daigle] that he had no business showing it to other people. I told him to delete it right away and he did.
Victoriaville Tigers General Manager Kevin Cloutier
In this same interview, Mr. Cloutier denies the information found in the sentencing decision, according to which it was rather a hotel employee who asked that the video be deleted.
Mr. Cloutier also wrote a letter, at the request of the Defense, to describe the behavior of the two accused before the assault.
PHOTO JACQUES BOISSINOT, CANADIAN PRESS ARCHIVES
Former Victoriaville Tigres players Nicolas Daigle, left, and Massimo Siciliano
“Everyone has their own opinion on the letter. But it does not condone the actions,” says Mr. Cecchini. “It provides an account of who these young people were before the assault. It’s like interviewing the famous neighbor on the news, who says: I would never have guessed he was going to do that. It is not at all, at all, support for the accused. And if there had been a trial, he would have testified for the Crown.”
A message “
The conviction is the latest in a string of sexual assault cases involving hockey players in recent years, the most high-profile of which was the accusation against five members of Canada’s 2018 junior team. A trial has yet to take place.
“It’s correct to say that it sends a clear message to hockey, I have no problem with that,” assures Mr. Cecchini. “But I hope that it sends a clear message to society in general, to young people who make reckless actions. We also note that the victim followed the course of justice. She reported it and justice worked. It shows that this is the right way to proceed to denounce assaults.”
It was also revealed that the two former players had followed training on consent, offered by the QMJHL. Is this training sufficient?
“First, it’s 2 players out of 450,” Mr. Cecchini replied. “The government has been providing education on drinking and driving for 40 years and it still exists. We are never safe from delinquent behavior, no matter the training. The important thing is how we react.”
Mr. Cecchini reminds that this training will now be accessible to parents, who will be able to follow it by videoconference. “I want parents to hear the tough, clear, not muffled language that will be said to young people, to understand what happens if young people do reprehensible things.”
Read “Two former Tigers hockey players appeal their sentences”