Lightning suspend Ian Cole as defenseman faces accusations of sexual abuse, grooming woman when she was minor

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The Tampa Bay Lightning on Sunday suspended defenseman Ian Cole after he was accused on social media of grooming and sexually abusing a woman when she was a minor.

The Lightning said the team was fully cooperating with the NHL in an investigation and is making the decision to suspend Cole as it gathers more details.

"The Tampa Bay Lightning is aware of the allegations against player Ian Cole and are cooperating fully with the NHL on an investigation," the Lightning said in a statement. "Our organization takes these allegations very seriously. While we continue to gather more details, we have decided to suspend Ian Cole pending the results of an investigation. No members of the organization, including players, will comment further at this time."

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Ian Cole of the Tampa Bay Lightning skates with the puck before a preseason game against the Florida Panthers at the FLA Live Arena Oct. 6, 2022, in Sunrise, Fla. (Joel Auerbach/Getty Images)

The allegations were made on Twitter by a user identified as Emily Smith. The Twitter user posted a lengthy statement. The tweet was sent on Friday. The user only has one tweet on the account.

The statement details Smith’s alleged encounter with Cole when she was in high school, and he had been "playing in the NHL for a few years at that point." Smith wrote Cole was "very well aware" of how old she was and said she felt pressured into having sex with him. The statement details times when Cole allegedly made "derogatory and misogynistic comments."

Smith claimed Cole "bragged" to one of his teammates about "sexually assaulting me as a minor the first night we