Alleged victim in Hockey Canada scandal breaks her silence

Hockey Canada is reeling from an alleged sexual assault scandal that has rocked the entire organization.

In case you've been living under a rock for the past few months, an unnamed young woman has alleged that she was sexually assaulted by 8 members of Team Canada's 2018 World Junior Championship roster. Once these allegations became public and it became apparent that Hockey Canada had paid the woman for her silence, there was public outcry leading to an investigation by the government of Canada.

Now, Hockey Canada's entire executive staff is being called to resign and there's real concern that the world's largest hockey development program will lose its government funding.

Today the woman at the center of the allegations is speaking out. She had an exclusive, anonymous interview with the Globe and Mail, but frankly she didn't have much to offer that will further the investigation.

“I never wanted to draw attention to that,” she said in a brief interview with The Globe and Mail on Monday. “I just wanted consequences for actions and some accountability.”

Known only as "EM" to protect her identity, she filed a complaint back in April but she claims that she never thought things would blow up as they have. After all, she went to police back in 2018 and the story never went public then. Still, she's cooperating with investigators and is doing her best not to fan the flames of this scandal any further.

“It was difficult to see the facts in pieces rather than as a whole,” she told The Globe.

At the heart of Hockey Canada's defense is a video that allegedly shows EM giving consent for the sexual encounter.

Shot at 4:26 a.m, the video shows EM covering herself with a towel in a hotel room saying, “Are you record me?” she asks. “OK fine. It was all consensual. You’re so paranoid, shit. I enjoyed it, it was fine. It was all consensual. I’m so sober so I can’t do this now.”

EM contradicted her words in this video however, just the next day in a text message exchange with one of the players invovled.

“You said you were having fun,” the player wrote.

“I was really drunk, didn’t feel good at all afterwards. But I’m not trying to get anyone in trouble,” she replied. “I agreed to go home with you, it was everyone else after that which I didn’t expect. I just felt like I was being laughed at and taken advantage of.”

He later replied: “You must speak to your mother immediately and clear things up with the police before it goes too far. This is a serious matter that she misrepresents and could have a significant impact on many people, including you.”

Personally, I'm hoping that the truth comes out in this investigation and that all guilty parties are subject to the full extent of the law.