Several members of the University of Ottawa (U of O) men’s hockey team watched two teammates commit sexual acts on a woman in a hotel room after a road game in Thunder Bay, Ont. according to a statement of defence filed by the school on Jan. 25.
Teammates had watched, “in various states of undress,” as captain David Foucher and assistant captain Guillaume Donovan committed sexual acts on an unnamed woman, the document claimed. Foucher and Donovan were charged with sexual assault in August 2014. The two are to be tried next August.
U of O suspended its men’s hockey program after allegations of sexual assault came to its attention in February 2014.
The school is being sued by members of the hockey team in a $6-million class-action lawsuit, which claimed the school damaged the reputations of other players by deciding to suspend the entire hockey program.
The document also claimed the team’s coach, Réal Paiement, didn’t inform U of O about the alleged incident for more than two weeks. A student from Lakehead University informed the university’s director of sports and services of the alleged incident on Feb. 23, the document claimed.
U of O met with Paiement on Feb. 26 and suspended him the following day, according to the statement of defence. The school had begun to independently investigate the allegations of misconduct and Paiement’s handling of the matter.
The independent investigation found one of the three teammates had consensual sex, but couldn’t determine whether Foucher and Donovan did, according to the document.
The statement of defence also mentioned the university had researched how other schools responded to allegations of sexual assault within sports teams, discovering that suspending entire sport programs was the most common response.
The university also acknowledged 11 members of the team weren’t present during the alleged incident, including six who did not travel to Thunder Bay.
Andrew Creppin, the plaintiff of the lawsuit, was sent to the hospital by Paiement with three other players because another member of the team was too intoxicated, according to the statement of defence.
U of O also acknowledged Paiement had emphasized to players that playing on the team was a privilege and they had to agree to conduct themselves in an appropriate manner, meaning no drinking during tournaments, participating in hazing, or illegal activities.
The university’s claims have not been tested in court.
