Western University in Ontario has reportedly hired a lawyer to investigate allegations of misconduct by two coaches of its women’s hockey team.
The targets are head coach Candice Moxley and fitness manager Jeff Watson, TSN said Tuesday.
• Also read: Women’s hockey is booming in Quebec
• Also read: Women’s hockey: How Marie-Philip Poulin’s Olympic dream took shape
Several players on the team have accused Moxley of pressuring them to overcome injuries and of failing to act when she was allegedly informed of Watson’s alleged misconduct.
The latter is said to have sexually harassed several female hockey players. He is alleged to have touched certain players inappropriately and made inappropriate comments about the bodies of several of them.
When she came back to Moxley, she reportedly said multiple times that she didn’t care about her players’ mental health and that they were all replaceable.
The head coach is also said to have told her athletes that they were wearing clothing that was too revealing. She even reportedly told a player that she should have worn longer shorts when the player told her that Watson had touched her inappropriately.
Moxley confirmed to TSN that Western University is currently investigating the women’s hockey program and that she is on leave for health reasons. The 40-year-old has been at the helm of the Western Mustangs since 2018. She previously worked in the NCAA and the now-defunct Canadian Women’s Hockey League. From 2013 to 2015, she was also responsible for video for the Canadian women’s national team.
Western University, for its part, refused to confirm that an investigation was being carried out.