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Recently, a lawsuit was filed against Sharks Sports & Entertainment. It alleges that the parent company of San Jose Sharks covered up a Junior Sharks coach's alleged grooming and sexual abuse of child hockey players.
The revelation shocked the hockey community, prompting NHL fans to express their condemnation and disgust on social media platforms, particularly on Reddit.
In a post shared on r/hockey, with the caption,
"[SJ Spotlight] San Jose Sharks sued over child sex abuse cover-up," users expressed their outrage and disbelief at the disturbing allegations.
Trending
"Well, that is fu**ing horrendous. Glad this piece of shit is being nailed; hopefully, any employee involved in obfuscating this gets punished too," one fan wrote.
Another fan expressed a cynical view of the challenges faced by NHL teams when it comes to handling sex crimes.
"NHL teams try to not get involved in sex crimes challenge [IMPOSSIBLE]," the fan wrote.
A more visceral reaction came from a fan who exclaimed,
"F**k this organization, burn anyone and anything involved in this to the absolute fu**ing ground."
Comparisons to recent scandals within the hockey community were inevitable, with one fan drawing parallels between the Sharks and the Chicago Blackhawks:
"Well geez. Basement dwellers and covering up s*x scandals. Who knew we would have so much in common with Chicago."
Details concerning San Jose Sharks se*ual abuse case
The San Jose Sharks are facing legal action following allegations of a child sex abuse cover-up involving former coach Kevin Whitmer. The lawsuit claims Whitmer inappropriately touched players under the guise of medical assessments. He solicited photos of children's bodies and took them alone to the locker room at the Sharks Ice skating rink in April 2021.
Attorney Mark Boskovich accused the Sharks organization of withholding crucial information from parents that could have prevented the abuse.
"The San Jose Sharks organization that enabled the abuse engaged in cover-up type behavior. They had information they withheld from parents of sharks players that could have prevented this from happening," Mark Boskovich said (via San Jose Spotlight)
The suit, filed by the family of a 12-year-old player allegedly abused by Whitmer, targets Sharks Sports & Entertainment, LLC, the team's parent company. Whitmer faces numerous felony charges related to child sexual abuse and possession of child pornography after a police report was filed in October 2023.
Despite parental complaints labeling Whitmer as a "creep" and concerns about his behavior, the lawsuit alleges the organization ignored warnings.
