Harvard has hired law firm Jenner and Block to conduct a review of its women’s ice hockey program following a report by The Athletic that detailed hazing, insensitivity to mental health issues and other problematic behavior within the team going back more than two decades.
The scope of the investigation and whether lawyers from Jenner and Block will issue a formal report is unclear. The Athletic emailed a Harvard spokesperson questions about the probe. She responded: “I have no comment.”
Advertisement
Some players recently received an email from a Jenner and Block lawyer that stated that two investigators were planning to be on Harvard’s campus in the next few weeks and that they would like to meet individually with players to hear about their experiences in the program and gather any relevant information they wish to share.
Following the March 10 story by The Athletic, Harvard athletic director Erin McDermott sent an email to all the school’s athletes about the “concerning reports” about the women’s ice hockey team and told athletes that “the conduct alleged does not represent who we are” and suggested that “this is a good time for reflection.” She reminded them to report any hazing or harmful behavior immediately.
This will be the second review of the program in the last 11 months. Following a racially insensitive remark by head coach Katey Stone during a team meeting in March 2022, Mike Smith, Harvard’s NCAA faculty athletics representative, spoke with players. He has worked at Harvard since 1992 and chaired the committee that hired McDermott. At the conclusion of that review, McDermott announced to the team that Stone would remain as coach.
For the March 10 story, The Athletic spoke to more than 30 individuals who played for Harvard or were associated with the program from this season and going back more than 20 years. The allegations, which expanded upon earlier accusations made by players in a story by the Boston Globe, included:
- Players held an annual “Initiation Week,” which concluded with “Freshmen Fun Night,” where upperclassmen urged freshmen to, among other acts over the years, put condoms on bananas, fake orgasms and act out sexualized skits. Some years, underaged players felt pressured to consume alcohol, some until they passed out or vomited. In some years, alumni came back to campus and participated in Freshmen Fun Night.
- Players from 2005 to 2023 said they witnessed or participated in an event called “Naked Skate” at The Bright-Landry Hockey Center. In some of those years, freshmen were told to do a “superman” slide on the ice that left some with ice burns and bleeding nipples. The most recent “Naked Skate” occurred the day following the publication of the Globe story. After one player became upset about the event, Stone and her staff later met with the team and told them it was an unsanctioned activity.
- Players on teams dating as far back as 2002 recalled a fining system in which team members had to pay a monetary penalty for perceived offenses. Some women were fined for the clothes they wore or what they ate, for having a boyfriend or harboring a crush. Some players say they had to pay a “gay tax” or an “Asian tax.”
The Athletic did not find direct evidence that Stone, who has coached at Harvard since 1994, played any role in Initiation Week, the fining system or was present for Naked Skate. But, as one player from the last 10 years said, Stone would frequently remind the players: “There’s not a single thing on this team that goes on that I don’t know about.”
Advertisement
Stone was accused of downplaying injuries, dismissing mental health issues, leading derogatory chants directed at players and creating a climate where players were pitted against each other to curry favor with her. One parent of a player from a recent season, in describing how she perceived Stone ran the program, said it was “a mental-health Hunger Games.”
In parent emails, Stone was described as “a menace” and the program was “a secret society” where players feared retribution if they revealed how they were being treated.
Prior to the publication of the March 10 story, Stone, McDermott and Smith declined comment through a spokesperson.
Jenner and Block is the same firm that investigated how the Chicago Blackhawks handled sexual assault allegations involving a player and a video coach during the 2009-10 season. That report, released in 2021, resulted in a $2 million fine to the Blackhawks organization and prompted general manager Stan Bowman to resign; senior vice president of hockey operations Al MacIsaac and former coach Joel Quenneville also stepped down from their jobs.
GO DEEPER
Hazing, Naked Skates and a ‘mental-health Hunger Games’: The dark side of Harvard women’s ice hockey
(Photo: Erica Denhoff / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)