Sources: Suspended Cole will interview with NHL
Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Ian Cole will have an in-person interview on Wednesday in New York as part of the NHL’s investigation into sexual misconduct allegations against him, sources told ESPN.
Cole will be interviewed by Jared Maples, the NHL’s chief security officer.
Cole was suspended by the Lightning on Sunday after a Twitter user who identified herself as Emily Smith posted that she was sexually abused and groomed by Cole when she was a minor. In a statement released through his agent, Cole said he would cooperate with the investigation and “looked forward to clearing my name and demonstrating to the NHL and the Tampa Bay Lightning that these allegations are unfounded.”
Maples joined the NHL in 2021 after serving as the director of the New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness. Maples has been involved in other league investigations, including last season when Evander Kane, then a forward for the San Jose Sharks, who is now with the Edmonton Oilers.
According to sources, it was the Lightning who decided to suspend Cole until the completion of the league’s investigation.
The 33-year-old defenseman, who is entering his 13th NHL season, signed with Tampa Bay as a free agent this summer on a one-year, $3 million deal.
The Lightning open the season on Tuesday night in New York for an Eastern Conference finals rematch against the New York Rangers.
The allegations against Cole were made on Oct. 7.
Smith posted on Twitter that she was groomed by Cole for years, “starting when I was a minor in high school,” and noted that Cole was “well aware of my age” at the time of the alleged sexual abuse.
“As a teen, I didn’t even know what grooming was,” she wrote. “When you’re young and this happens to you, you don’t realize you are a victim. As I got older and built self-esteem, I started to fully understand the extent of what happened to me and that this could never have been consensual.”
New Jersey Devils defenseman Dougie Hamilton will miss the remainder of the regular season and “possibly” the playoffs due to a lower-body injury, general manager Tom Fitzgerald said.
When pressed if Hamilton could return if the Devils reach the second round of the postseason, Fitzgerald wasn’t too optimistic on Wednesday.
“We’re not planning on it, how’s that?” Fitzgerald said during an appearance on the “Krackin’ Canuckleheads” podcast.
Hamilton has been sidelined since he was tangled up with Stars forward Mason Marchment in the first period of a 4-3 loss to Dallas on March 4.
Hamilton, 31, has 40 points (nine goals, 31 assists) in 63 games this season. He is competing in the fourth campaign of his seven-year, $63 million contract.
Hamilton has totaled 501 points (151 goals, 350 assists) in 834 career games with the Boston Bruins, Calgary Flames, Carolina Hurricanes and Devils.
Hamilton was selected by the Bruins with the ninth overall pick of the 2011 NHL draft.
Rafael Devers told reporters Thursday that he’s “good to do whatever” the Boston Red Sox want him to do, an indication that he’s willing to move away from third base and serve as the team’s designated hitter this season.
A switch of roles didn’t seem likely last month, when Devers balked at the idea at moving to DH in the wake of Boston signing Alex Bregman.
“Third base is my position,” Devers said then.
But the three-time All-Star said Thursday that he spoke with manager Alex Cora and chief baseball officer Craig Breslow a few weeks ago and told them “I’m good to do whatever they want me to do.
“I’m here to help,” he said through his interpreter, according to The Athletic. “I’ve already spoken with them about that and they know where I stand, but I’m just ready to play.
“I’m not going to share what we talked about here just because it would make me come off … those are private conversations. So I told them everything of my point of view, how I see things, and they know that.”
Devers has yet to appear in an official spring training game for Boston. It was supposed to happen Tuesday but got pushed back to this weekend. He battled soreness in both of his shoulders last season and spent the first couple of weeks of spring training trying to strengthen them ahead of the regular season.
He did play in an intrasquad game Thursday in Fort Myers, Florida, before he spoke with the media, and had a home run off new Red Sox starter Walker Buehler.
Asked if he expects to be ready for Opening Day against the Rangers on March 27 in Texas, Devers said: “I expect to be there.”
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