Chicago Blackhawks GM Kyle Davidson addressed the media on Tuesday hours after the team made the decision to place Corey Perry on waivers with the intent to terminate his contract after he "engaged in conduct that is unacceptable."
Davidson opened his press conference with a statement and tried to be as transparent as he could.
"First and foremost, I want to start off by reiterating the organization is committed to a culture of accountability and upholding our values across our employees and players both on and off the ice," Davidson said. "Last week, management was notified of possible misconduct by Corey Perry. We immediately pulled him from the game and conducted an internal investigation. Upon learning the findings of the investigation, we made the decision to terminate his contract.
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"As this is an individual personnel matter, I will not be able to disclose any details related to the initial reporting, investigation or the findings.
"However, I do want to be very clear on this one point: This does not involve any players or their families, and anything that suggests otherwise, or anyone that suggests otherwise, is wildly inaccurate, and frankly, it’s disgusting.
"This has been a tough situation and I understand you wanted answers. It was important that we took all the necessary steps before sharing more. I hope you can understand that I may not be able to answer everything today, but I am going to be as open and honest as I can be, given the situation and out of respect for those involved."
Chicago Blackhawks
Davidson was not able to disclose too many details, but he was visibly distraught and emotional about it all, most notably when asked about the ridiculous rumors of the situation potentially involving players and their families.
Davidson believed the team "went through the process as quickly as we could in order to run a responsible investigation," but understood that the vagueness of Perry's absence led to the rumors running rampant.
"To be honest, I think over the last 24 hours, what’s gone on has been very disturbing and I feel like I’m wearing it. I’m carrying that," Davidson said before his voice trailed off. "It’s just tough to see. Yeah, it’s tough to see."
Davidson and the Blackhawks have worked hard to reshape their image after the 2010 sexual assault allegations that led to a house-cleaning. Nobody is more committed to making sure something like that doesn't happen inside the organization again than Davidson himself.
"I think more than anything, it reinforces the resolve we have to change the culture and make sure we’re doing the right things," Davidson said. "Upholding our values and making sure we continue to build a culture of accountability. That’s my thoughts."
When asked whether the Perry situation will lead to more internal changes, Davidson responded: "It’s so fresh that we’ll get through today and I’m sure we’ll continue to always evaluate.
"The one thing, it goes without saying whether it’s after something comes up or not, you’re always trying to be better, you’re always trying to improve. I don’t see why that wouldn’t be the case moving forward. We’re always looking to be better than we were the day before."
