Outside review of NHLPA and Donald Fehr's handling of Kyle Beach's allegations finds no wrongdoing

An NHL Player's Association independently-commissioned investigation has found no «individual wrongdoing or institutional failures of policy or procedure» by its executive director Donald Fehr or others in ther handling of Kyle Beach's allegations of sexual assault against Chicago Blackhawks then-video coach Brad Aldrich in 2010.

The 20-page review, shared by the NHLPA on its social media channels on Friday and created by Toronto-based law firm Cozen O'Connor, found there were breakdowns in miscommunication and misunderstanding in the process of the NHLPA's handling of Beach's allegations, but concluded there was no evidence of «any individual or systemic failure.»

«After a thorough examination of the contemporaneous record,» Cozen O'Connor's said in its report, «the policies and practices in place at the [players'] union at the time, and the recollections of each of the parties to the contacts with the NHLPA or the SABH program, we cannot identify any individual wrongdoing or institutional failures of policy or procedure by either Fehr, NHLPA personnel, or the SABH program concerning the handling of Beach's reports.»

Cozen O'Connor said its review into the union's handling of Beach's allegations «included the review of thousands of emails, relevant phone records, controlling documents and policies for the SABH [Substance Abuse and Behavioural Health] program and NHL Hotline, and interviews with eleven individuals.» However, both Beach and another former Blackhawks player negatively affected in the past declined to be interviewed by Cozen O'Connor.

In accordance with the decision of the Executive Board, the NHLPA has made public the independent review of Cozen O'Connor. Full report available here:https://t.co/9Uz2gY00xD