(670 The Score) In his first public comments since a sexual assault scandal for the Blackhawks organization gained widespread attention, president of hockey operations Stan Bowman declined to comment on specifics regarding a pair of lawsuits while adding he will participate in the investigation.
"The Blackhawks organization takes these allegations very seriously," Bowman said Thursday in a scheduled call regarding the NHL Draft, which starts Friday. "It's important for me to say off the top that I do not condone harassment or assault of any kind.
"I'm eager to speak about this in more detail in the future. But for now, I have to respect the pending litigation and the independent review that's underway.
"We have to let the process play out."
Bowman will cooperate with the Jenner & Block investigation organized by the Blackhawks, he said. Bowman declined to comment on whether the results of that review will be made public.
A lawsuit filed May 7 in Cook County Circuit Court alleges that former Blackhawks video coach Brad Aldrich assaulted two players in 2010. "John Doe," the former player who sued, is seeking more than $150,000 in damages and an admission of wrongdoing from the team, his lawyer Sue Loggans told 670 The Score in late June.
In May 2010, two Blackhawks players told then-skills coach Paul Vincent of inappropriate behavior by Aldrich, TSN reported. Vincent said he asked then-mental skills coach James Gary to follow up with the players and team management. Vincent was then called into a meeting with Bowman, Gary, then-president John McDonough and hockey executive Al MacIsaac the next day. His request to report these allegations to Chicago police was denied.
Bowman declined to comment on whether he was part of that meeting.
Lately, Bowman has been conducting hockey operations as usual, which included a trade of veteran defenseman Duncan Keith to the Oilers on July 12. The Blackhawks are currently preparing for the draft and free agency.
Litigations regarding the allegations could take several years. Bowman added he recognizes the perception of the Blackhawks during this legal process but can’t comment until the matter is resolved.
"We take this very seriously," Bowman said. "I take this very seriously. But we have to let the process play out. That's where we are today."
Aldrich left the organization after the 2009-’10 season. He denied the allegations through his attorney to WBEZ in May. The Blackhawks in a statement have called the allegations groundless.
On May 26, a second lawsuit against the Blackhawks was filed by a former high school hockey player in Michigan, whom Aldrich was convicted of assaulting. The lawsuit alleges the Blackhawks provided positive references to future employers of Aldrich despite the previous allegations of wrongdoing. Aldrich was convicted in 2013 of fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct and is on the state of Michigan's registry of sex offenders.
The Blackhawks filed a motion to dismiss the first lawsuit by the ex-player, citing that a statute of limitations on sexual abuse expired, the Tribune reported. They've also filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit from the high school hockey player in Michigan, the Sun-Times has reported.
As for the former Blackhawks player whom Loggans is representing, she indicated he wants an acknowledgement of truth from the organization.
"What he wants is for the Blackhawks to acknowledge what happened so that other franchises accept the fact that they have to be honest, straightforward and have programs in place to stop this from happening to anybody else," Loggans said in late June. "If that happens and there's a settlement, that's fine for him. He's not out for an eye for an eye. But this has ruined his professional career.
"He does want to be compensated for his losses, but he doesn't care if it's by trial or settlement, as long as people acknowledge what was wrong and there are some systems put in place to protect other young people from this."
Chris Emma covers the Bears, Chicago’s sports scene and more for 670TheScore.com. Follow him on Twitter @CEmma670.