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Team Refuses to Play After Head Coach Abuses Their Power


PUBLICATION
Pat Quinn
November 6, 2023  (8:26)
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Western University women's hockey team has announced that its members will abstain from practices and games in protest at the return of a coach who has been accused of forcing players to play through injuries.

The upcoming game between Western and Ontario Tech is set to be boycotted by the players themselves. The players, who feel as though they have not had their accusations of unethical behaviour against head coach Candice Moxley and fitness coach Jeff Watson addressed, view the action as their last option.

Current Issues

Western's players claim that head coach Candice Moxley forced them to play through injuries. Additionally, the players also claim that Moxley intentionally ignored claims made against fitness coach Jeff Watson, who was dismissed after the investigation. The university's investigation cleared Moxley of any wrongdoing and allowed her to later return to the team.
The players feel as though the investigation was not completed properly as the person Western university asked to handle the investigation was London lawyer Elizabeth Hewitt. She had ties to Western as she was the former board chair of both Brescia and King's university colleges, and was a professor in Western's law program.

Players Response

The players released a letter with the following statements
"We do not believe that the investigation was fair, unbiased and transparent. We had an expectation that Western University would believe us, the survivors of psychological abuse we faced from coach Moxley."

"By allowing coach Moxley to return, the university has shown blatant disregard for the health and well-being of traumatized students"

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