Sports

NHL Reinstates Five Players Acquitted in Sexual Assault Case

Published SEP 12 2025

Story

Above: Cal Foote, right, leaves the London Courthouse after being acquitted of sexual assault charges July 24, 2025. Image credit: Cole Burston/Getty Images

The Facts

The NHL on Thursday announced that five players acquitted of sexual assault charges will be eligible to sign contracts starting Oct. 15 and return to games Dec. 1 following their acquittal on July 24 by Ontario Superior Court Justice Maria Carroccia in London, Ontario.
CNN
New York Post
Carter Hart, Michael McLeod, Dillon Dube, Cal Foote and Alex Formenton were charged with sexual assault stemming from an alleged June 2018 incident in a London hotel room after a Hockey Canada gala celebrating their World Junior Championship victory.
The New York Times
sportsnet.ca
Carroccia ruled that prosecutors had not proven their case and that she did not find the complainant's evidence to be "credible or reliable" when delivering the not guilty verdicts on all charges in July.
CNN
New York Post
The NHL stated that despite the acquittals, the players' conduct fell "woefully short of the standards and values that the league and its member clubs expect and demand" and requires formal league-imposed discipline.
CNN
New York Post
All five players are currently free agents, with Hart, McLeod, Dube and Foote classified as unrestricted free agents, while Formenton remains a Group 2 restricted free agent on the Ottawa Senators' reserve list.
sportsnet.ca
The New York Times
The players haven't played in the NHL since January 2024, when they took respective leaves of absence after charges were filed against them.
Toronto Star
New York Post

Sources Split

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The Spin

Narrative A

The league correctly recognized that legal acquittal doesn't erase conduct that falls short of professional expectations. But at the same time, these players have already lost a large portion of their careers and they should be able to resume playing if teams are willing to sign them. The NHL needed to send a clear message that such conduct won't be tolerated regardless of criminal conviction, and that's what this suspension demonstrates.

The Hockey News

Narrative B

The NHL has done its part to send the right message about these players' behavior and how it relates to their status in the league. Now it'll be up to the teams interested in signing them whether it's worth the type of backlash those clubs might face for signing one or more of these players. Either way, the players being reinstated don't mean they'll be able to just pick up where they left off.