OHL says it will co-operate with an investigation into sexual assault allegation

TORONTO — The Ontario Hockey League says it is taking recent sexual assault allegations against eight former players "very seriously" and will co-operate with any police investigation into the claims.

A woman alleged in a CTV report that aired Wednesday that she was sexually assaulted by eight OHL players in November 2014 at a house where a 19-year-old player she was in a relationship with was billeted while playing in the league. 

The woman, now 32, said she reported the alleged incident to Ontario Provincial Police earlier this year.

The OHL said in a statement Thursday that it first became aware of sexual assault allegations on Wednesday.

The CTV report did not name the players alleged to have been involved or the team or teams they played for, and none of the allegations have been tested in court.

“The NHL is deeply troubled by any accusation of this nature," a league spokesperson told TSN Hockey Insider Darren Dreger on Thursday. "We have no information beyond what was in the media report from last night.”

The report of the alleged incident comes as Hockey Canada continues to deal with sexual assault allegations against players on its 2018 and 2003 national junior teams.