The court ruled 'not guilty of sexual assault,' but the association's judgment differed... Four promising players face severe sanctions, with bans from travel extending until 2030 at most

*This content was translated by AI.

While acquitted of sexual assault charges in court, the Canadian Hockey Association reached a different conclusion.

Reuters reported on the 13th (Korea time) that "five players from Canada's 2018 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships team, who were found not guilty last year of sexual assault allegations, have been confirmed to have violated the Canadian Hockey Association's code of conduct."

The players at the center of the controversy are Michael McClure, Alex Formenton, Dylan Dubé, Carter Hart, and Carl Fout.

They faced charges of sexually assaulting a woman in a hotel room in London, Ontario, Canada, in 2018. Reuters explained that "at the time, the players were staying at the hotel after attending a Canadian Hockey Association event to celebrate their World Junior Championship victory."

However, all five were acquitted of sexual assault charges in July last year.

It was reported that during the incident, the victim woman recorded videos repeatedly stating that the sexual act was consensual. In the videos, she also claimed she had not been intoxicated.

The victim testified in court that she made statements contrary to her true feelings due to pressure from McClure, but the court did not accept this claim. It is also known that some of the victim's testimony did not align with objective evidence such as CCTV footage at the time, which influenced the not guilty verdict.

However, the matter was not fully resolved. The Canadian Hockey Association conducted additional investigations and ultimately upheld its original determination that they violated the code of conduct. Separate from the criminal court's acquittal, severe sanctions were imposed.

Among the five, only Formenton immediately regained eligibility. Fout remains suspended until November.

Hart, who plays for the Vegas Golden Knights, is barred from participating in games and programs approved by the Canadian Hockey Association until November 2027. Dubé, an offensive player for the St. Louis Blues, faces a ban until November 2028.

McClure received the heaviest sanction and will remain suspended until November 2030.

These players had already been placed on suspension, preventing them from participating in programs approved by the Canadian Hockey Association pending the conclusion of appeal procedures. This decision has now established specific end dates for their sanctions.

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*This content was translated by AI.