On Jan. 16, the University of Ottawa announced it would extend the suspension of its men’s varsity hockey team through the 2015-2016 season.
The team was originally suspended in June after a February road trip to Thunder Bay ended with allegations of sexual assault. In August, those allegations led local police to lay charges against two University of Ottawa players.
Currently, the case against the pair is making its way through the legal system. Suspending these players was the right decision, their alleged misconduct is unacceptable.
But there are 24 other players on the team for whom suspension was not a fitting punishment and whose reputations did not need to suffer so severely.
In the aftermath of the scandal, the team’s head coach was fired and several players now claim their reputations have been unfairly tarnished.
Twenty-two players have launched a class action lawsuit against the university and its president seeking $6 million in damages, which could take years to settle.
The university ordered an independent investigation of the events in Thunder Bay, but it has consistently refused to publish the findings.
As it stands, players have been given no clear reason for the team’s suspension. All the university has said is, according to the investigation’s findings, “the behaviour of some players was unacceptable, did not reflect the University’s values and failed to meet the expectations of its student-athletes.”
Suspending the team on these vague grounds showed a total lack of transparency on the part of the university, which was clearly more concerned with protecting itself than confronting the causes of this behaviour.
The players should know why they are being punished, and so should the rest of the student body. Somebody needs to hold the university to account.
In a letter to the Globe and Mail, university president Allan Rock said there was an “unhealthy climate surrounding the team.”
The suspension has done nothing to address that climate. There is no magical reset button that can be pressed, no slate that can be instantly wiped clean.
At this point, the university has little choice but to continue the suspension of the hockey program – hiring a new coach and recruiting several new players takes time. But instead of shunning the current players, the university should let them be part of the solution.
There are several organizations in the Ottawa area that raise awareness about sexual assault and harassment. Some, such as the Sexual Assault Support Centre of Ottawa and Hollaback! Ottawa, provide lectures and workshops that cover reporting sexual assault, supporting sexual assault survivors and combatting street harassment.
Any of these organizations would likely jump at the opportunity to work with the players in order to foster a healthier climate around the team, and the players could then transfer that knowledge to their fellow students and student-athletes.
The suspended players might not have participated in the assault, they might not have known about it, but this does not relieve them of all responsibility.
As ambassadors for the university whenever they wear the school uniform, they should strive to be role models in the sports community, and the Ottawa community at large.
In this respect they have come up short. But give them a chance to make amends – to be part of the solution rather than part of the problem – and the team, the university and the community will be better for it.