Unfortunately, the chilling words of Sheldon Kennedy and Greg Gilhooly have proven to be right.
Survivors of the worst sexual abuse case in Canadian hockey, victims of Graham James, the two former players predicted Winnipeg’s football equivalent was only going to grow.
On Monday, we learned the number of people accusing former high-school coach Kelsey McKay of abuse increased to nine.
It began with five, and the publicity surrounding that initial police news conference in April led to three more quickly coming forward.
Now another.
As shocking as this story was when it first broke, nobody, certainly not the police, would be shocked if Monday’s news doesn’t help yet another brave soul tell their story.
“The survivors have come on the heels of these press conferences, which is profound and very brave,” police spokesperson Const. Dani McKinnon said. “This particular coach taught for two decades. I certainly hope that’s not the case, but it wouldn’t be surprising, given the information and the magnitude that we’ve previously discussed.”
Of the previous eight victims, seven were former players at Churchill, one at Vincent Massey.
The school attended by the ninth wasn’t identified by Winnipeg police, but it doesn’t matter.
Neither does the position that person played or how high-profile he was on his team.
He is a hero. They all are.
Because the easiest thing to do is to swallow the shame and the fear, push it down deep into their bellies and keep it there.
These nine have taken the hard road, after more than a decade of suffering in silence.
They may or may not have been teammates when their head coach abused their trust.
But they are now. All leaning on each other, working for a common goal.
“It helps generate a support network,” McKinnon said. “It helps create a framework of comfort, knowing there are people to help you and that you can move through the process, which is still going to be very difficult.”
The more victims that come forward in any sexual abuse case, the better chance of a conviction. And the longer the potential sentence.
James initially got a three-and-a-half-year sentence after pleading guilty to some 300 counts of abuse on Kennedy and 50 on another player.
More victims, including Theo Fleury, came forward and James eventually served more than 10 years for abusing five junior-aged players.
McKay, 52, is currently facing a total of 24 charges, including one each of sexual assault and luring a child under 18 in connection with the latest accusation.
“Having worked many years in the child abuse area, I want to acknowledge how difficult it must have been for the victim to come forward,” police Insp. George Labossiere of the community support division said. “It takes courage. And good for them. Because it’ll help in preventing these people from re-offending, and certainly help in the education process.”
Police are stepping up that education process.
Monday’s news conference, coming soon after schools got back in session, included strict rules for what’s allowed and what’s not between coaches and players.
Parents take note:
– Coaches are not allowed one-on-one electronic communication with players or students.
– Coaches should never have students in their homes.
– Coaches should never be alone in a vehicle with students, or share a room overnight.
– Coaches shouldn’t touch players frequently without permission or insist on personal massages.
Any one of these is a red flag, with no exceptions.
“The coaches all know the rules,” McKinnon said. “They’ve all taken the certifications and they know what is acceptable and what is not acceptable. If you do start to see those signs, you should definitely follow up on them.”
Police say many of the alleged assaults in the McKay case took place at the coach’s home, between 2004 and 2011.
McKay coached a championship team at Churchill and won another at Vincent Massey after starting the football program there in 2009.
Like James, he was a well-respected coach.
That’s one of the potential problems: players and parents often don’t dare question them.
“Young athletes do look to their coaches for that leadership, that guidance,” Labossiere said. “And therefore there’s an element of trust put in that individual that perhaps gives those coaches distinct opportunities. When we talk about a grooming process… it’s something that happens over time. And a coach can certainly leverage playing time or various opportunities to their advantage.
“So making sure students are aware of these things, making sure people know what is appropriate behaviour versus what is not appropriate, will hopefully help prevent crimes in the future.”
Cops aren’t naive, though. Labossiere suspects there are more perpetrators out there.
To anyone being victimized: it’s not your fault. You did nothing wrong.
And you’re not alone.
pfriesen@postmedia.com
Twitter: @friesensunmedia
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