Ex-Wild player Ian Cole suspended amid sexual abuse allegations
Ian Cole has been suspended by the NHL's Tampa Bay Lightning after a woman accused him of sexually abusing her when she was a teenager in high school.
Cole, who played for the Minnesota Wild in 2020-21 and signed a one-year, $3 million contract with Tampa Bay in July, has denied the allegations.
"I was groomed by Ian Cole for four years, starting when I was a minor in high school," his accuser, Emily Smith, announced on Twitter.
She said Cole was in the NHL at the time and was "well aware of my age and that I was a teen in high school" – adding that Cole would frequently "pressure" her into sexual activities and that she was a "minor in high school" when she had her first sexual encounter with Cole.
Cole issued a statement through his agent denying the allegations.
“I take the allegations made against me today in an anonymous tweet very seriously,” Cole's statement to the Associated Press said. “I look forward to clearing my name and demonstrating to the NHL and the Tampa Bay Lightning that these allegations are unfounded.”
The Lightning have suspended Cole pending the investigation, saying they take the report "very seriously."
Cole played for the Carolina Hurricanes last season and prior to his one year in Minnesota he played five years in St. Louis, four years with Pittsburgh, one season with Columbus and three years in Colorado.
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