Senators suspend assistant GM Lee until resolution of harassment case
The Ottawa Senators have suspended assistant general manager Randy Lee indefinitely.
General manager Pierre Dorion announced the decision in a statement from the team on Friday evening.
Lee has been charged with harassment of a shuttle driver in Buffalo earlier this month and he will appear again in court on July 6 on the non-criminal violation charge.
“As our hockey club’s initial statement made clear, our hockey team — and our organization as a whole — will always hold our leaders, coaching staff, players and employees to the highest standard of behaviour,” the statement read.
“Harassment in any form is unacceptable, whether it occurs inside or outside the workplace. As a result, and with all the care and caution required in such cases, we have spent the past two weeks listening carefully to, and consulting with our community, our fan base and our partners to understand their expectations on the matter. At the same time, we have worked with authorities in Buffalo, as well as with Randy Lee’s lawyer, to ensure that Randy be granted the due process to which he is entitled. Until now, the Senators had never been made aware of a complaint against Randy, whether before or during his 23-year career with the team. He must be allowed to address the allegations against him through the court system.”
Because it’s unlikely that Lee will be able to address all the questions until July 6, the statement continued, “we believe the best way to live our values and enforce our standards of behaviour is to suspend Randy Lee until the allegations against him are ruled upon by the courts.”
The suspension means Lee can have no contact with either the Ottawa Senators or the affiliated Belleville Senators of the American Hockey League, where he serves as general manager.
It also means Lee, a pivotal member of the organization’s scouting squad, will not attend
the NHL draft in Dallas on June 22-23.
Lee, 56, was originally charged with harassment of the 19-year-old hotel shuttle driver in Buffalo on May 30 and spent one night in jail before his first court appearance. Lee had been attending the NHL’s scouting combine for draft-eligible prospects.
This newspaper reported that, according to a Buffalo Police Department report, the allegation says the shuttle passenger offered to massage parts of the driver’s body and then “tried to get (the driver) to look at his groin area because he had an erection.”
Lee pleaded not guilty to the allegations on June 4. If found guilty, he faces a maximum fine of $250 and up to 15 days in jail.
Lee has not commented since the arrest. Noted defence lawyer Paul J. Cambria was hired by Senators owner Eugene Melnyk to defend Lee.
“(Melnyk) was solid, professional and determined,” Cambria said. “He is loyal to his people and he has good reason to be loyal in this situation and with Randy,” Cambria told this newspaper.
“I’m confident it’s just a misunderstanding and we hope to resolve it.”
Buffalo district attorney John Flynn has said Lee will have to answer for his “uncool behaviour” and added that it could affect Lee’s future employment.