Ian Cole a defenseman for The Tampa Bay Lightning was suspended on Sunday, October 9, 2022, after he was accused on social media of grooming and sexually abusing a minor.
“The Tampa Bay Lightning is aware of the allegations against player Ian Cole and is cooperating fully with the NHL on an investigation,” the Lightning said in a statement. “Our organization takes these allegations very seriously.
While we continue to gather more details, we have decided to suspend Ian Cole pending the results of an investigation. No members of the organization, including players, will comment further at this time.”
Emily Smith, a Twitter user, made the allegations on Friday, October 7, 2022. The Twitter user made a lengthy statement. The account only has one tweet.
Smith claimed Cole “bragged” to one of his teammates about “sexually assaulting me as a minor the first night we first met.”
Cole has not commented on the allegations. The NHL’s Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly told The Associated Press that an investigation had been launched. Daly stated that the league was unaware of the allegations until they were shared on social media.
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