Four NHL players have been charged with sexual assault in Ontario, Canada, stemming from an alleged assault by members of Canada’s world junior team in 2018. Carter Hart of the Philadelphia Flyers, Michael McLeod and Cal Foote of the New Jersey Devils, and Dillon Dube of the Calgary Flames have all taken leaves from their respective teams over the past two weeks. 

Attorneys representing the players confirmed the charges on Tuesday, Jan. 30, and said their clients deny wrongdoing. Attorneys representing Hart emailed a statement to ESPN.

“He is innocent and will provide a full response to this false accusation in the proper forum, a court of law,” Hart’s attorneys said.

Attorneys for McLeod said their client will be pleading not guilty and they “will vigorously defend the case.”

“We ask that the public respect Mr. McLeod’s privacy, and his family’s privacy,” McLeod’s attorneys said. “Because the matter is now before the court, we will not comment further at this time.”

In a similar statement asking for privacy, Foote’s attorneys told ESPN that they will be fighting the charge.

“Cal is innocent of the charge and will defend himself against this allegation to clear his name,” Foote’s attorneys wrote. “What is most critical at this time is the presumption of innocence, and the right to a fair trial that everyone in Canada is entitled to.”

Former NHL player Alex Formenton turned himself in to police on Sunday, Jan. 28, in connection with the investigation. The NHL opened an investigation into the alleged assault in 2022 but has not made those findings public as of yet.

Team officials echoed similar statements saying that they are aware of the reports. A Flyers spokesperson said they “will respond appropriately to this very serious matter when the outcomes of the investigations are made public.”