In his new book due next week, Playing With Fire, recently-retired NHL star Theo Fleury claims he was sexually abused as a teenager by his junior hockey coach Graham James. This was something that had been suspected for some time, writes Dirk Hoag of On The Forecheck:
Theo Fleury Claims Sexual Abuse by Junior Coach Graham James
What many have long suspected, is finally coming to light today. In his new autobiography, Playing With Fire
, longtime NHL star Theo Fleury claims to have been sexually abused by his junior hockey coach Graham James.
Back in 1998 I was fortunate enough to cover Games 1 & 2 of the Stanley Cup Finals in Detroit, and during those days, Sheldon Kennedy had just brought his story to public attention. I observed at his press conference as he talked about raising awareness for the issues that abused teens face; isolation & fear of ridicule, which often leads to substance abuse and anger management problems in adulthood. It was a sad tale, but Kennedy gamely stood in the spotlight to tell it, and helped send James to prison for his crimes.
Many had long thought that Fleury, who also played under James in junior and experienced many of the same off-ice problems that Kennedy did, was also a likely victim.
James was tried and convicted of the abuse of Sheldon Kennedy, who says that he knew that Fleury was suffering from the same abuse. The Calgary Sun points out that Fleury will have some questions to answer about his continued relationship with James, even after the abuse allegedly took place.
One of the questions Fleury will have to answer repeatedly over the next few months as he blankets the country on a book tour focuses around why he chose to help finance the upstart Calgary Hitmen junior hockey team in 1995 with James as head coach.
Why he didn’t join Kennedy coming forward in the mid-90s is also a mystery, although both questions can likely be answered by the fragile state Fleury has been in for decades.
Fleury was a superbly talented hockey player whose career was derailed by his addiction to drugs, drinking and gambling. His off the ice problems, similar to Kennedy’s, made most wonder if he didn’t suffer at the hands of James as well. Next week, when he starts the official tour for his book, the truth will finally come out.
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