Former Chicago Blackhawks forward Kyle Beach identified himself Thursday as the "John Doe" in a sexual assault allegation that has rocked the sport, saying he hopes speaking out will help other abuse survivors.
Beach was with the Blackhawks organization during the club's 2010 Stanley Cup playoffs when he said former video coach Brad Aldrich attacked him.
He told the team but senior Blackhawks staff did not take immediate overt action against Aldrich, according to an internal probe that was made public Tuesday. The report led to the resignation of general manager Stan Bowman and a $2 million fine against the club.
"So for me right now, it's important to come forward to share my story because this is so much bigger than Kyle Beach," he told "CBS Mornings."
"Yes, I'm a survivor, but there's millions of people in this world that have been affected by sexual abuse or sexual assault, and I'm speaking out now to hopefully give them a voice, to give them the power to come forward so that we can make a change in this world and hopefully make this a safer place in sports but also in work and life and every day."
The internal report found that Blackhawks management didn't want to take any immediate action against Aldrich because the team was in the midst of their playoff run, which ended with the club winning the Stanley Cup. The report didn't name Beach and called him "John Doe" throughout the 107-page finding.
“First, we would like to acknowledge and commend Kyle Beach’s courage in coming forward," the club said in a statement Wednesday night after Beach first went public on TSN, a Toronto-based sports network.
"It was inexcusable for the then-executives of the Blackhawks organization to delay taking action regarding the reported sexual misconduct. No playoff game or championship is more important than protecting our players and staff from predatory behavior."
National Hockey League Players’ Association Executive Director Don Fehr also thanked Beach for stepping forward.
“Kyle Beach has been through a horrific experience and has shown true courage in telling his story," Fehr said. "There is no doubt that the system failed to support him in his time of need, and we are part of that system."
Aldrich didn't immediately return messages from NBC News seeking comment. His attorney declined to comment.
According to the internal probe, Aldrich did not deny that a sexual encounter with the player occurred, but he contended that it was consensual.
The former coach now runs a glass manufacturing company in Calumet, Michigan. He's on Michigan's Sex Offender Registry, following a 2013 conviction for having sexual contact with a minor while he was volunteering as a high school coach in Michigan.
"It makes me sick to my stomach," a tearful Beach, who now plays for the TecArt BlackDragons in Germany, said of that young victim. "And my message to him was that I'm sorry because I feel like maybe I could have done more then to protect him."
Emma Thorne and Helen Kwong contributed.
Kyle Beach steps forward as 'John Doe' in Chicago Blackhawks' sexual assault case - NBC News
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