Former Gee-Gees men’s hockey players will get $350,000 for scrapped season
Andrew Creppin’s most memorable win had nothing to do with putting a puck in the net or defending a teammate out on the ice.
Creppin, now 29, stood up for his teammates in court as the lead plaintiff in a class-action lawsuit against the University of Ottawa after it suspended the entire team and later cancelled its 2013-14 season after two players were charged with sex assault during a road trip in Thunder Bay.
The other players — some of whom weren’t even on the road trip — sued the university for punishing the whole team for the alleged actions of a few.
The university settled the class-action suit out of court and will pay the former players a total of about $350,000.
“It’s not easy being linked to rape culture,” Creppin said. “We were all tainted with the same brush, and we stood up for ourselves.
“I am pleased that my teammates and I did not accept the way we were treated. Our reputations were tarnished and many of us had to change the course of our education and hockey futures.”
The scandal put a strain on the players, some of whom left Ottawa — some left the country — to play hockey and study elsewhere. Creppin stuck around and fought the school in court as the lead plaintiff.
“I am proud of these young men.
It took courage to stand up against the university,” said Lawrence Greenspon, one of two lawyers who represented the players who were not criminally charged.
Co-counsel Tina Hill said: “These 23 young men were hard-working, dedicated individuals who were treated badly by the university and they suffered as a result.”
The settlement does not include an admission of liability. The university said in a statement that it was in the best interests of both parties and noted that litigation would have been an expensive burden.
Greenspon said he was disappointed in the university.
“The university, which is entrusted with shaping the minds of young people by setting the right example, failed to do so. The significant settlement moneys are recognition of the unfairness visited upon these student athletes.” gdimmock@postmedia.com twitter.com/crimegarden