Beach alleges that he was sexually assaulted by the team’s former video coach in 2010, and that the team did nothing to investigate the incident
Report: Joel Quenneville out as Panthers head coach originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
Joel Quenneville is out as head coach of the Florida Panthers after he resigned his post on Thursday night.
The news comes just two days after the findings of the Jenner & Block investigation into the sexual assault allegations against former video coach Bradley Aldrich and the handling of the matters internally were made public.
Quenneville released a statement after the announcement of his resignation.
“I want to express my sorrow for the pain this young man, Kyle Beach, has suffered,” the coach said. “My former team the Blackhawks failed Kyle, and I own my share of that. I want to reflect on how all of this happened, and take the time to educate myself on ensuring hockey spaces are safe for everyone.”
Quenneville met with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman in New York on Thursday afternoon and was accompanied by Panthers GM Bill Zito and team president Matt Caldwell. The meeting reportedly lasted two hours.
In July, Quenneville claimed he was first made aware of the allegations through the media "earlier this summer." He stood by his statement when asked about it on Wednesday.
But the independent investigation revealed that Quenneville was present for the upper-management meeting on May 23, 2010, just one hour after the Blackhawks punched their ticket to the 2010 Stanley Cup Final.
Kyle Beach, who came forward as John Doe on Wednesday, shed some more light on the situation in his interview with TSN.
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"I've witnessed meetings, right after I reported it to [mental skills coach] James Gary, that were held in Joel Quenneville's office," Beach said. "There's absolutely no way that he can deny knowing it."
The Panthers have won seven straight games to open the 2021-22 season and look like legitimate Stanley Cup contenders. Andrew Brunette will reportedly step in as interim head coach.
