Leafs defender issues statement regarding Hockey Canada investigation

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Ben Hodgson
August 17, 2022 (8:02 PM)

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Newly signed Leafs defenseman Victor Mete released a statement today Via Twitter on Wednesday regarding the investigation into an alleged sexual assault that occurred after a gala event in 2018. The names of the players accused have not been revealed, leading to fan and media speculation as to which players from the 2018 Canadian World Junior team were involved. Mete was a member of the team in 2018, but according to Mete, he was not in Canada when the alleged assault occurred.

Earlier today, I was voluntarily interviewed by Hockey Canada investigators looking into sexual assault allegations from 2018 that have dominated the news recently.

Notwithstanding the fact that was out of the country on vacation when the incident under investigation occurred, I answered all of Hockey Canada's questions and fully intend to continue cooperating with police, Hockey Canada, and the NHL in their attempts to get to the truth of this matter.

I have also informed Hockey Canada that they can share a copy of my interview with the police and the NHL to help advance these investigations.

The results of this investigation could have far reaching effects at the NHL level. If convicted, those involved in the assault are likely to have their NHL contracts terminated and could face possible jail time. Mete's alibi of being out of the country on vacation at the time seems fairly solid. The questions remain though, who was involved, why was it not taken more seriously at the time, and why are the players involved not being revealed? Hiding the names of those involved only leads to rampant speculation and innocent team members becoming suspects in the eyes of the fans and media. The rule is innocent until proven guilty, not anonymous until proven guilty.

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