Would Kyle Beach be a witness? Do earlier denials hurt credibility? Attorneys address new lawsuit against Chicago Blackhawks.

Attorneys for a former Chicago Blackhawks prospect said he drew inspiration for filing a negligence lawsuit against the team from ex-teammate Kyle Beach, who, like their client, alleged he was sexually assaulted in 2010 by then-video coach Brad Aldrich.

“Having somebody like Kyle Beach ... someone who was very well-known to come forward, that’s what gave him the courage,” Antonio Romanucci of Romanucci & Blandin said Monday during a news conference in downtown Chicago.

“People say, ‘Oh, this is a money grab.’ It’s not. Ultimately there will be, hopefully, some financial compensation for him. But there is no doubt that in these situations, people who have been abused sexually take time for them to come forward.

“And when they see that other people come forward, that gives them the path to follow that.”

The suit filed Thursday on behalf of the former Hawks prospect, anonymously named “John Doe,” makes multiple allegations about Aldrich, including that he grinded his penis against the player from behind, sent a picture of his penis to the player’s phone and threatened to damage the player’s career if he reported Aldrich’s conduct to superiors.

Beach filed his lawsuit in May 2021, making similar accusations.

The Hawks initially disregarded Beach’s suit as “lacking merit” but later commissioned an independent investigation that found senior team leaders covered up his complaint at the time to protect the Hawks’ 2010 Stanley Cup championship run. The team reached an undisclosed settlement with Beach in December 2021.

Shortly after the Hawks won the Cup in 2010, Aldrich was allowed to resign with severance pay. In 2013 he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor in a case involving a 16-year-old hockey player at Michigan high school where he was a volunteer coach. Aldrich was released from jail in 2014 and registered as a sex offender.

Beach’s teammate on the 2010 “Black Aces” — a squad of prospects who traveled with the Hawks during the playoffs in case of injury — filed suit in Cook County Circuit Court on six counts: negligent hiring and retention (of Aldrich), negligent supervision, negligent infliction of emotional distress, intentional infliction of emotional distress, violations of the Illinois 2004 Gender Violence Act and willful and wanton conduct.

The firm said its client is the same player identified as “Black Ace 1″ in the October 2021 independent report by Jenner & Block, which interviewed multiple witnesses to verify Beach’s claims.

“This case is about institutional negligence at its worst,” Romanucci said, “where the culture of winning at all costs allowed a predator coach to abuse players at a time when the coach knew he could act with impunity. In other words, just get away with it because the team was on a winning roll.

“The team … conceded the abuses by Brad Aldrich but not until nearly a decade after it all happened. It took another brave player, Kyle Beach, to file a lawsuit and expose the dirty little secret that management had known all along: Aldrich was abusing players during the Blackhawks’ Stanley Cup run.”

In a statement emailed to the Tribune on Saturday, the Hawks touted sweeping reforms to their internal policies and means for employees to report abuse.

“We’ve changed as a result of what happened and implemented numerous positive improvements throughout our organization to ensure the safety and well-being of our players and employees,” the statement said.

The Hawks had no initial response to Monday’s news conference. They confirmed they have not yet been served with the lawsuit.

Meanwhile, the lawyers addressed several questions from reporters.

Why come forward now?

The acts that “John Doe” alleges occurred 13 years ago.

“Now, one question you may have is why did it take so long for our John Doe client to come forward?” Romanucci said. “Well, there are two important reasons. First, it was not known to John Doe that the organization had hidden this corrupt conduct in plain sight. So our theory here is that the Chicago Blackhawks hockey team fraudulently concealed the conduct, and it was not discovered until October of 2021.

“And secondly, like many survivors of sexual abuse and harassment, John Doe feels an intense amount of personal shame, guilt, embarrassment, and it took a long while for him to reconcile and now have this laudatory courage to come forward and make his allegations public.”

Do ‘Black Ace 1′s’ initial denials undermine his credibility?

The Jenner & Block report stated: “Black Ace 1 vehemently denied to us in writing and during his interview that he had any direct sexual encounters with Aldrich.”

He also declined to talk about Aldrich or refused to acknowledge any sexual interactions with him during discussions with other witnesses, according to their accounts in the report.

“John Doe (as Beach was referred to in the Jenner & Block report) recalled that he told Black Ace 1 that Aldrich tried to touch him,” the report said. “John Doe recalled that Black Ace 1 responded that Aldrich was a ‘creep’ and then ended the conversation.”

Do those denials in 2010 undermine his claims now?

“That’s a narrative that some people will try and sell,” said Jason Friedl, a senior attorney for Romanucci & Blandin. “That’s a narrative of revictimization of individuals who survive any sort of abuse.

“We see it time and time again, the arguments that are made that are thrown up in the face of these individuals: ‘What are you going to gain? Why did it take so long?’ And these are good questions at first, but again, they contribute to this narrative in society of reblame or blame the victim.”

Would Kyle Beach be willing to act as a witness?

Susan Loggans, Beach’s attorney, said Beach paved the way for other alleged victims “to have the courage and the opportunity to come forward.”

“Kyle has moved on from his own experience,” she told the Tribune late Sunday. “But he did know this person, and if it gets to a trial and he’s subpoenaed, he would abide by any legal subpoena.”

Friedl said his client and Beach “had been in contact for a number of years after they stopped playing with the Blackhawks.”

“However, he has not discussed this matter with Mr. Beach,” Friedl said. “Neither has Mr. Beach given him details of what occurred in his case.”

Is the plaintiff undergoing therapy?

“Yes, our client has sought out counseling,” Friedl said. “But in terms of his mental well-being, I’d say he’s pretty strong, coming forward to deal with this situation and bring his story forward. I think it’s a sign of strength and it’s a sign of improvement. But, yes, he sought counseling and will continue to do so.”

“John Doe,” who plays overseas, believes his experience in 2010 “changed the trajectory of his professional and personal life,” Friedl said. “It derailed his lifelong aspirations to play in the NHL.”

In the Jenner & Block report, investigators said rumors about an incident between Black Ace 1 and Aldrich started in 2010 “and followed Black Ace 1 for years.”

“Black Ace 1 recalled being asked by a couple of players about whether Aldrich gave Black Ace 1 (oral sex),” the report said. “Black Ace 1 recalled laughing off the question and saying ‘no.’

“Black Ace 1 also recalled an incident in approximately 2014 when he was chased around the ice by a former Blackhawks player who called Black Ace 1 a (homosexual slur) and asked if Black Ace 1 ‘liked that (oral sex) or what?’”

Friedl alluded to those rumors Monday.

“When this is known to other players, when you are suspected of being the individual who has been abused, other players begin to treat you differently,” he said. “It makes showing up every day for practice and for playing that much more difficult.

“So it has certainly impacted his career, but he’s willing now to take the risk of any further impact to have his story told.”