Former Chicago Blackhawks hockey player, Kyle Beach, has come forward as the man who filed a lawsuit against the team over the mishandling of his sexual assault allegations.

The May 2021 lawsuit was filed by a John Doe, but on Wednesday, Beach revealed himself to be the man behind the lawsuit during a televised interview with TSN Hockey.

According to Beach’s lawsuit, the hockey star was the victim of a sexual assault that took place in May 2010. Beach names the then video coach, Brad Aldrich, as the assailant. During his televised Interview, Beach describes the distress and pain he suffered after he told upper management about the sexual assault.

Beach details in the interview, “I was scared mostly. I was fearful. I had my career threatened. I felt alone and dark. Sorry, it’s tough to recall these moments. I felt like I was alone and there was nothing I could do and nobody I could turn to for help. And I didn’t know what to do.”

Black was 20 years old when he joined the Chicago Blackhawks in 2008 after he was drafted during first-round picks (11th overall). Beach details that two years later in 2010 was when the sexual assault occurred. Beach alleges that Aldrich, who was 27 at the time, invited Beach back to his apartment. After threatening Beach with his place on the team, Aldrich proceeded to assault the hockey player.

An independent investigation was conducted after the law firm Jenner & Block was hired on by the Blackhawks to investigate the claims from Beach’s lawsuit. The day before Beach came out as being John Doe, the investigation’s report was released and validated Beach’s claims.

Beach alleged that he complained to team leaders of the sexual assault, but his complaints were put off and addressed only after the team won the Stanley Cup later that season. During his interview, Black explains that at the time, team leaders called his accusations “meritless.”

The report explains that Beach came forward with details of the assault to upper management including the team counselor and mental skills coach. Beach’s allegations were also shared with Blackhawks executives including then-President John McDonough, Executive Vice President Jay Blunk, Assistant General Manager Kevin Cheveldayoff, and head coach Joel Quenneville.

At the time of the assault, the higher-ups chose not to make the allegations public in order to “avoid bad publicity” before the Stanley Cup. Still, after the team won the Stanley Cup, Aldrich was given the choice to resign or to face termination. Alridch chose to resign but still took part in the team's celebratory events after the Stanley Cup. After resigning from the team, Aldrich was given a severance package as well as a playoff bonus. He continued to hold a salary for several months after he left the company as well. After leaving the Blackhawks, Aldrich went on to continue his career by working at USA Hockey as well as the University of Notre Dame and Miami University in Ohio. Aldrich was later arrested in 2013 for fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct involving a minor.

After Beach came forward in revealing his identity, the Blackhawks issued a statement apologizing for mishandling the allegations. "It was inexcusable for the then-executives of the Blackhawks organization to delay taking action regarding the reported sexual misconduct. No playoff game or championship is more important than protecting our players and staff from predatory behavior,” the team explains.

Following the investigations, the NHL fined the Blackhawks $2 million for mishandling the complaints. Beach shared of the news, "I'm just so relieved with the news that came out yesterday, that I've been vindicated, and I can truly begin the healing process."