(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — Chicago Blackhawks owner Rocky Wirtz on Wednesday shut down reporters who tried to ask questions about the sex abuse scandal that overshadowed the team last year -- and then later apologized for losing his cool.
The blowup came during a question-and-answer season with fans and the media, with an inquiry first directed at Chief Executive Officer Danny Wirtz. A reporter from The Athletic asked what the Blackhawks are doing now to protect players.
The Blackhawks late last year reached a legal settlement with former player Kyle Beach, who said he’d been sexually abused by an assistant coach in 2010 and then ignored by team management more concerned with a Stanley Cup run.
It was Rocky Wirtz who insisted on answering — or not answering — the question.
“I think the report speaks for itself,” Wirtz said, referring to an internal review. “The people that were involved are no longer here. We’re not looking back at 2010. We’re looking forward, and we’re not going to talk about 2010.”
When Danny Wirtz tried to offer comments about what the team is doing today, the elder Wirtz talked over him.
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“No, that’s none of your business,” Rocky Wirtz chided the reporter. “What we’re going to do today is our business. I don’t think it’s any of your business.”
He added: “You don’t work for the company. If someone in the company asked that question, we’ll answer it.”
The forum moved ahead. But it wasn’t over. A few minutes later, a Chicago Tribune reporter pressed the Blackhawks about previous remarks they had made about changing the team's culture and being transparent.
A visibly perturbed Rocky Wirtz said the reporter was out of line. “Why don’t you ask about something else?”
A statement was issued later Wednesday on behalf of Rocky Wirtz in which he apologized for the way he responded.
“Tonight, at the Chicago Blackhawks town hall, my response to two questions crossed the line," he said. "I want to apologize to the fans and those reporters, and I regret that my response overshadowed the great work this organization is doing to move forward. We have the right leaders and right processes in place to create a safe environment for our employees and players.”
The Blackhawks’ previous general manager, Stan Bowman, was forced out in the wake of Beach’s lawsuit, for not acting more decisively when the player first came forward with his allegations against Brad Aldrich.
The team is in the process of hiring a permanent replacement for Bowman.
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