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NHL teams forced to ponder future of players reinstated after sex assault trial

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A London, Ont. courtroom sketch is pictured from day one of the trial on April 22, 2025 (Artist, Alexandra Newbould).
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NHL teams will be forced to weigh talent against potential backlash when deciding whether to sign one of the five players acquitted in the 2018 London, Ont., sexual assault trial.

The professional hockey league announced Thursday that Michael McLeod, Dillon Dube, Cal Foote, Alex Formenton and Carter Hart can return to play Dec. 1.

They are currently free agents and are legally permitted to sign with a team on Oct. 15 as they wait full reinstatement.

All five were charged with one count of sexual assault and pleaded not guilty when the trial opened in April. MacLeod had also been charged with one count of being a party to the offences.

The hockey players were acquitted of all charges on July 24 after the two-month trial.

With files from The Canadian Press

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