Friend of Kesler's daughter details disturbing allegation toward ex-Vancouver Canucks player
More disturbing details have been revealed concerning allegations against former Vancouver Canucks player Ryan Kesler.
The 41-year-old retired pro hockey player pleaded not guilty to two misdemeanour counts of fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct in his home state of Michigan last October.
A judge ruled Thursday that the case will head to trial, reports Sean Gentille of The Athletic.
The alleged victim, who was 16 at the time of the allegations on Jan. 1, was reportedly a friend of Kesler’s eldest daughter.
“She told the court that, after falling asleep on a couch next to Kesler in the hours following a New Year’s Eve party at his home, she awoke to find his foot rubbing her crotch and her foot touching his erect penis over a pair of shorts,” Gentille reports.
If found guilty, Kesler could face a maximum of two years in prison, according to Michigan state law.
“Ryan is innocent and has done nothing wrong,” said Kesler’s attorneys, Robert Morad and Neil Rockind, in a statement shared with Daily Hive.
“Anyone who watched yesterday’s hearing saw the same thing we did: the testimony unraveled under the slightest pressure. Key details shifted, answers repeatedly collapsed into ‘I don’t know’ or ‘I don’t recall,’ and contradictions with earlier statements were never accounted for. Even basic facts couldn’t be stated consistently. Ryan has been unwavering from day one because he’s telling the truth. He’s prepared to see this through and is confident his name will be fully cleared.”
Drafted by Vancouver in 2003, Kesler played 10 of his 15 NHL seasons with the Canucks. His last NHL game came in 2019, with the Anaheim Ducks. A native of Livonia, Michigan, Kesler and his wife, Andrea, reside in Michigan with their four children.