UPDATE: Corey Perry released a statement on Thursday. Here's what he said.
The Chicago Blackhawks have officially terminated the contract of forward Corey Perry, following what the team's general manager described as a "disturbing" incident, which sent shockwaves through the hockey world Tuesday.
The team's internal investigation and ultimate decision offered a glimpse into the situation that had many questioning over the last week.
Perry's mysterious absence from the team in the days leading up to the announcement had sparked numerous rumors surrounding the team, but officials said those rumors were "wildly inaccurate."
Here's a look at what we know:
What happened with Corey Perry?
The situation first came to light when Perry was listed as a surprise scratch on Wednesday against the Columbus Blue Jackets, which ended in a 7-3 lopsided loss at Nationwide Arena. He participated in the team's morning skate but did not take part in warmups.
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After the game, Blackhawks head coach Luke Richardson confirmed to reporters that it was an "organizational decision" to sit Perry. He was a healthy scratch.
The Blackhawks returned to practice on Thanksgiving Thursday, but Perry was absent, and the team declined to elaborate on why.
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On Friday morning, Richardson revealed that Perry would not be in the lineup against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
It wasn't until Blackhawks GM Kyle Davidson held a media availability Saturday morning that the team addressed Perry's status.
"He's away from the team and will remain so for the foreseeable future," Davidson said. "I'm unable to provide any further update on that front."
Davidson said he "understands" there's speculation out there as to what's going on, but respectfully didn't want to get into details. He did, however, provide some clarity on one front.
"It's been a team decision so far to hold him out and that's all I'm able to provide," Davidson said. "It is coming from the organization's end."
Then on Tuesday, the Blackhawks gave more information, releasing a statement that said Perry "engaged in conduct that is unacceptable and in violation of both the terms of his Standard Player's Contract and the Blackhawks' internal policies intended to promote professional and safe work environments."
"As such, Corey Perry has been placed on unconditional waivers. In the event Mr. Perry clears waivers, we intend to terminate his contract effective immediately," the team said.
What did Corey Perry say?
The only statement so far came from Perry's agent Saturday.
"Corey Perry has stepped away from the Chicago Blackhawks to attend to personal matters," Pat Morris of Newport Sports Management told Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. "Corey and his family appreciate privacy at this time."
Friedman did not respond to NBC Sports Chicago's requests for comment following the news Tuesday.
What else do we know?
Blackhawks GM Kyle Davidson addressed the media before Tuesday's game at the United Center to talk about the situation. He was not able to share many details, but he did want to hammer home one thing.
"I do want to be very clear on this one point: This does not involve any players or their families, and anything that suggests otherwise, or anyone that suggests otherwise, is wildly inaccurate, and frankly, it’s disgusting," Davidson said. "This has been a tough situation."
Davidson declined to address specifics about the nature of the allegations, describing it as a “workplace matter” when asked if law enforcement would be involved in any investigation. He also said that it was a “team incident,” but said that it did not involve any players with the Blackhawks.
Davidson told media that the team had learned about the allegations on Wednesday while they were in Columbus and preparing to take on the Blue Jackets. The team pulled Perry from the lineup that evening, and he missed three games while the investigation was underway.
Davidson believed the team "went through the process as quickly as we could in order to run a responsible investigation," which is why they didn't disclose anything sooner.
"To be honest, I think over the last 24 hours, what’s gone on has been very disturbing and I feel like I’m wearing it. I’m carrying that," Davidson said before his voice trailed off. "It’s just tough to see. Yeah, it’s tough to see."
When asked whether the Perry situation will lead to more internal changes, Davidson responded: "It’s so fresh that we’ll get through today and I’m sure we’ll continue to always evaluate.
"The one thing, it goes without saying whether it’s after something comes up or not, you’re always trying to be better, you’re always trying to improve. I don’t see why that wouldn’t be the case moving forward. We’re always looking to be better than we were the day before."
Players were not given exact details of the nature of the allegations, but were told prior to Tuesday’s announcement that the team had decided to terminate Perry’s contract.
“They just kind of listened,” Davidson said when asked about how the meeting proceeded.
How did the team respond to the news?
Following the announcement, Richardson talked about the unfortunate circumstance of cutting a player he had initially vouched for as a veteran leader. He called the situation disappointing.
"Obviously it's disappointing that we're in this situation but there's really no second guessing," Richardson said, adding that it "puts a big dent" in the team.
Fellow Blackhawk Nick Foligno said "there's a standard in this [locker] room and we all adhere to it."
"It's a hard day. Nobody wants to hear that news. We all care about Corey but we understand that there's a standard that we're going to be held to," he said, adding "it's hard to comment when you don't have all the details fully but you care about the person and we care about this organization and they're going to do what's best for all of us."
