The court case surrounding the alleged sexual assault by members of Canada’s 2018 World Junior hockey team continued on Thursday, with more witness testimony and text messages from the players’ group chat being presented as evidence.
Tyler Steenbergen, who was also part of the 2018 team but is not facing any charges, continued answering questions in court. He spoke about what he saw and knew regarding the night of the alleged incident, which took place in a London, Ontario, hotel room after a Hockey Canada gala in June 2018.
Five Players Plead Not Guilty
Five former teammates — Michael McLeod, Carter Hart, Alex Formenton, Dillon Dube, and Cal Foote — have all pleaded not guilty to charges of sexual assault. McLeod is also facing a second charge as a party to the offence.
So far, none of the accusations have been proven in court. The case is being heard before a jury, although the jury was only in the courtroom for part of Thursday’s session due to private legal discussions, which cannot be shared publicly because of a publication ban.
Group Chat Messages Read Out in Court
Crown attorney Heather Donkers read a series of text messages that were shared in the team’s group chat just a week after the alleged assault. Steenbergen confirmed who sent each message and gave some context for the conversations.
One message, from McLeod’s number, said:
“We all need to say the same thing if we get interviewed can’t have different stories or make anything up.”
Jake Bean, another teammate who has not been accused of any wrongdoing, replied:
“No boys, like we don’t need to make anything up, we didn’t do anything wrong.”
Controversial Messages Raise Questions
Other messages suggested a defensive and at times dismissive tone about the woman’s claims. Brett Howden, another player not facing charges, texted:
“Nobody forced her to do anything, if anything we should put allegations on her… She’s the one that got naked and started begging everyone.”
Later, a message from Foote said:
“Okay, then it’s private, and no police are involved, so we are all perfectly fine.”
When asked what he understood by that, Steenbergen replied that he thought everything was fine because he believed the woman had given consent and no one was in trouble at the time.
The group also discussed getting in touch with Hockey Canada officials and sharing videos and messages that might support their version of events. One such message from Howden suggested:
“Just tell him what f—— happened… Show him the text from this girl and the video or whatever he wants to see.”
Details From Inside the Hotel Room
Earlier that day in court, Steenbergen was also asked about what happened in the hotel room. He said he and Bean were only in the room for about 10 to 15 minutes and didn’t take part in any sexual activity. He said he saw Dube slap the woman’s buttocks after she performed oral sex on Hart. He didn’t hear any reaction from her.
Steenbergen said he was not paying close attention as he had a girlfriend at the time. When asked about Foote allegedly doing splits over the woman’s face without wearing pants, Steenbergen said he only saw part of the action, as the bed and other people blocked his view. However, he recalled that Foote was fully clothed when he entered the room.
He said the woman later got up and went to the bathroom, which allowed him and Bean to leave the room.
The court is continuing to go through witness accounts and group chat evidence to understand what happened on the night of June 19, 2018. While some players are accused, others like Steenbergen and Bean are only involved as witnesses. The trial is ongoing, and no final decisions have been made.
This case has drawn major attention across Canada and the hockey world, as it involves high-profile athletes and serious allegations. With more evidence expected in the coming days, all eyes remain on the courtroom for answers.
