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University of Ottawa hockey players accused of sexual assault make court appearance

Guillaume Donovan and David Foucher, both of Gatineau, Que., are scheduled to appear at the Thunder Bay Courthouse to answer each to one count of sexual assault that was laid in August following criminal allegations made in February.

The assault allegedly occurred in the early morning hours of Feb. 2 at the Victoria Inn, involving a 21-year-old female victim. The two were in Thunder Bay with the rest of their then  Gee Gees hockey team for a regular season weekend series against the Lakehead Thunderwolves.

TJHN first covered the story here The Death Pool – University Of Ottawa Hockey Team – Sex And Alcohol

The University of Ottawa’s men’s varsity hockey program has been suspended for the entire 2014-15 season and the head coach has been fired, prompting several students to threaten the school with legal action.

Several of the hockey players have retained lawyer Lawrence Greenspon, who is considering a suit against the university and its president, Allan Rock. Greenspon calls it a situation where the “alleged sins of the few are being visited upon the many.”

The decision to suspend the team into the 2015 season and to fire the coach were the result of an internal review conducted by independent experts organized by the university.

That review involved experts in university sport management, ethics and student disciplinary processes and will result in new behaviour guidelines for student-athletes.

Steven Gaon, an independent investigator, also conducted interviews on what happened in Thunder Bay.  “Gaon’s findings reveal that while the events in Thunder Bay represented an isolated incident, the behaviour of some players was unacceptable, did not reflect the University’s values and failed to meet the University’s expectations of its student-athletes,” according to a statement.

Joe Hughes

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