Two players for the Victoriaville Tigres of the QMJHL have been suspended indefinitely after they were both formally charged of sexual assault by police earlier this week.
Nineteen-year-olds Massimo Siciliano and Nicolas Daigle both appeared in court in Quebec City on Tuesday, and the QMJHL made its decision the following day.
“These are charges that the QMJHL takes very seriously,” the league said in a statement released on Wednesday. “The respect and the integrity of individuals are at the core of the league’s values and violent sexual behaviour of any sort has no place in a sports environment like ours. We feel great sympathy for the victims of physical and sexual violence and the league stands by its zero-tolerance policy in that regard.”
Great reaction from the QMJHL on this matter. Reaction.
This is not the first time multiple players in the QMJHL or junior hockey in general have been charged with this type of “group behavior”.
There is an underlying cultural issue at hand that has yet to be addressed by any junior hockey governing bodies. The systemic behavior of what some would consider predatory sexual behavior toward young women by groups of athletes is long over due to be addressed.
Reacting to charges is not enough. Education teaching players, and all young men that our daughters are not simply pieces of meat to be used when opportunity presents itself must become a priority.
While in hockey there is a genuine effort to be inclusive of LGBTQ people, people of other ethnicity, and people of all kinds of other differences, this issue has been ignored for decades.
It does not take a rocket scientist to go back and review the many reports of this type of behavior that have been reported on. And if you go by the experts, these reports are just a fraction of what is really happening that goes unreported.
Where is the leadership on this issue?
Joseph Kolodziej – Adviser
