Former Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Ian Cole has been anonymously accused of sexual assault. In a Twitter post, a woman alleged an abusive relationship with Cole that began when she was a minor.
She further alleges, citing a conversation with another NHL player, that Cole bragged to his teammates about assaulting minors. She also claims he asked her to bring her high school classmates to their liaisons.
Altogether, the allegations portray a yearslong pattern of behavior that, if true, should have been known to at least some teammates and other team personnel. The question is: Which team, or teams, do the woman’s allegations refer to?
The only way to clear the cloud of suspicion over Penguins players and leadership is for the team to cooperate completely and transparently with the NHL’s investigation. The team should also undertake its own investigation of the allegations, as well as a thorough review of the team’s culture and policies regarding sexual violence.
Cole signed a one-year contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning this summer. While the allegations are, for now, anonymous and sketchy, the team took them seriously and, rightly, has suspended the player, pending the league’s investigation.
Cole has been a journeyman NHL defenseman, with stops on several teams in a relatively short period. That raises the question about whether other teams became aware of similar allegations against Cole and pushed him out, instead of trying to stop his behavior.
His second-longest stint was in Pittsburgh, where he played for parts of four seasons, including the 2016 and 2017 Stanley Cup seasons. Before that, he had been in the St. Louis Blues organization since being drafted in 2007, while at the University of Notre Dame. Since the Penguins, he has played for the Columbus Blue Jackets, Colorado Avalanche, Minnesota Wild and Carolina Hurricanes, before signing in Tampa. Each of these teams needs to participate in any investigation of Cole.
Cole’s accuser writes that “the NHL fosters a culture of misogyny” and implies that he is one of many similarly bad actors who were also shielded by teammates and other officials. If true, this woman’s Twitter post could unravel and expose a toxic culture of misogyny and abuse.
The Penguins must take the lead in finding the truth. Eventually, everything will come to light, the good and the bad. It will be far better for the Penguins if they examine themselves, whatever they find, rather than wait for someone else to do it.
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