July 7, 2014
Pro-Hockey Player Arrested for Groping Male Cop's Behind
Jason St. Amand READ TIME: 2 MIN.
Canadian professional hockey player Claude Giroux, who is the Philadelphia Flyers captain, was arrested last Tuesday for repeatedly grabbing a male cop's buttocks while at a bar in Ottawa, Canada, USA Today reports.
Giroux, 26, was hauled off to jail for the night on July 1, Canada Day, for grabbing a male cop's behind twice. Following an investigation, Giroux, was released and no charges were filed as the athlete called the incident a holiday "prank."
In a statement the athlete apologized and said:
I regret my actions on Canada Day and sincerely apologize to my fans, teammates and the Philadelphia Flyers organization for my misguided attempt at humor.
Following an investigation, law enforcement determined that charges are not warranted. I have the utmost respect for law enforcement and apologize to the Ottawa Police Department and specifically the individual officer. I will be making no further public comment on this matter.
I will not be distracted from my ongoing preparation for the upcoming season. I remain 100% committed and focused on working with my team to return the Stanley Cup to Philadelphia.
In the same statement, Flyers' general manager Ron Hextall said the team will handle the incident internally and won't discuss the situation with the public.
In an email to USA Today, officials from the National Hockey League said unless there was more to the incident, they do not have a reason to discipline Giroux any further.
CBS Sports writes that Giroux's punishment "should hopefully be a more than a stern talking to from the higher ups. It's hard to imagine the Flyers will strip the C off of Giroux or anything drastic like that, but hopefully it really is addressed in earnest and not just the club paying lip service to the public."
Canada Day is the national day of Canada, a federal holiday celebrating the anniversary of the July 1, 1867, enactment of the British North America Act, 1867, which united three colonies into a single country called Canada within the British Empire. Canada Day observances take place throughout Canada as well as among Canadians internationally.
