Carter Hart joins Vegas Golden Knights following acquittal in assault case
Carter Hart, Ice hockey player, one of five players acquitted of sexual assault charges in Canada - has signed a professional tryout contract with National Hockey League (NHL) team the Vegas Golden Knights.
Hart was one of five members of Canada's World Junior Championship gold-medal team - who were accused of committing sexual assault to a woman known as EM in a hotel room in 2018.
However, all the players were acquitted in July 2018.
Hart is the first to join an NHL team since the league ruled that acquitted players could not rejoin teams before October 15 or play until December.
During the press conference, the 27-year-old stated that he was “excited to move forward” after staying out of the game for more than a year.
"It's been a long road to get back to this point, to get back to playing the game of hockey, a game that I love, and I've been out of the game for a year and a half now," Hart said, adding that he had "learned a lot".
The Golden Knights stated they “remain committed to core values” and expect players to maintain the standards.
It is pertinent to mention that another acquitted player, Michael McLeod, also recently joined Avangard Omsk in Russia, while the other three remain free.
The eight-week trial concluded that the complainant’s evidence was “not credible or reliable.”
However, the case sparked massive backlash and outrage against Hockey Canada, leading to lost sponsors, a parliamentary investigation, and their federal funding was frozen as well.
The NHL called the players’ actions “deeply troubling,” adding that although not criminal, their conduct “did not meet” the league’s standards.
