Lightning player suspended amid allegations of grooming multiple high school girls, issues a statement on the accusation

The allegations are very serious and while Cole is presumed innocent until proven guilty, this first victim coming forward could very well lead to more complainants coming forward to corroborate the story. Here's the Twitter post from the young woman, who calls herself "Emily Smith".

The timing could not be worse for the NHL as they are still currently dealing with the black eyes from the Kyle Beach and "John Doe 2" lawsuit stemming from the Chicago Blackhawks, Brad Aldrich scandal in 2010 and now the Hockey Canada scandals from 2003 and 2018. In addition, UFA forward Jake Virtanen, who was released this past week from his PTO with the Edmonton Oilers, was also involved in a sexual assault lawsuit, though he was found not guilty earlier this year.

Cole, via his agent, issued the following statement regarding Sunday's allegations, outright denying any wrongdoing and questioning the source of the information:

We, as a society, have a responsibility to start protecting the victims and letting it be known that such crimes will not be tolerated. With so many stories coming out but going nowhere, it's long past time we start believing the victims who are coming forward with these allegations and condemn these sorts of acts as a means of not only preventing future acts from occurring, but also seeking justice for those who have already been victimized.