'Don't ignore us, don't silence us': Western's women's hockey team to boycott games and practices

(Source: @WesternWHKY/Twitter)

The controversy surrounding the Western Mustangs women's hockey team continues to grow.

A letter penned by the team and addressed to Western University President Alan Shepard said players will now boycott all games and practices.

This move is in response to a third party investigation of misconduct allegations that cleared head coach Candice Moxley.

In September, several members of the Western Mustangs women’s hockey team made complaints about coaching staff, prompting an investigation by the university.

The allegations were first reported by TSN's Rick Westhead in which players claimed Moxley allegedly pressured them to play through injuries and did not take action when players told her about sexual harassment allegations against strength and conditioning coach, Jeff Watson

In the letter, the players accused the investigation of not being “fair, unbiased and transparent” as Western reportedly used a lawyer who is a former board chair of Brescia University College, and King’s University College, and a adjunct professor in the faculty of law.

In response, the players have asked Western to launch a second investigation by a different third party.

The players said in a September meeting with Christine Stapleton, current director of sports and recreation, that the players were asked how the interim coaches were performing, and the players expressed support for them.

The letter reads that Stapleton then said this was positive news as the interim coaches would be “Coach Moxley’s support upon her return.”

“To us, this just proves that the university always planned for Coach Moxley to return, even prior to the completion of the investigation. To us, this also proves the university does not believe us. They are not taking our concerns seriously. They are disregarding the voices of survivors,” the letter continues.

The school recently parted ways with coach Watson after several allegations of sexual harassment by the players.

Western University however has refused to make the report public.

“Don’t ignore us. Don’t silence us,” the players’ letter concludes. “To quote our athletic motto, ‘run with us,’ Dr. Shepard.”

Meanwhile, dozens of Western professors have penned a letter of their own to the school’s president imploring him to conduct a broader independent review of Mustang sports.

In an interview with CTV News, Ken Kirkwood, associate professor of applied health ethics and one of the professors who signed the letter, said he understands how the team is feeling.

“I’m kind of proud of them for taking this kind of stand. Hockey is a sport they love, and they’re playing it at a high level here at the university, and your athletic career is very short. So to say that you’re willing to throw a year away is really quite a stance,” he said.

When asked for his opinion on how everything has played out so far, Kirkwood said, “It’s been terrible.”

Kirkwood said he does not know any of the involved participants and has no personal vested interest in the controversy, but that he has been at Western since 2000, and therefore said that the students deserve a “proper investigation.”

“To be involved in an organization ethically, you have to be as transparent as possible, and we’ve had anything but when it comes to this,” he said.

Furthermore, Kirkwood said that now that the investigation into Moxley is complete, the onus is on Western’s president to be as open and transparent as possible.

When asked why he decided to add his name to the letter, Kirkwood said it was because the athletes stepped forward amid alleged abuses, and Western “did not respond appropriately.”

“We need to have some kind of reckoning of what happened,” Kirkwood said.

CTV News London reached out to Western Administration and Coach Candice Moxley for comment, but have yet to receive a response. 

— With files from CTV News’ Vanessa Lee