Corey Perry releases statement regarding his departure from the Blackhawks

Published November 30, 2023 at 4:03 PM
BY RYAN SMITHERAM

This past week Corey Perry was mysteriously made a healthy scratch for the Chicago Blackhawks' game against the Columbus Blue Jackets. He was then absent from consecutive practices before being scratched for their weekend games. As questions rose about what was happening, the Chicago Blackhawks announced that it was an organizational decision to keep him away from the team. Perry also released a statement through his agent saying he would be away from the team for family reasons. Unfortunately, the Hawks statement led to rumours circulating, suggesting that Perry had hooked up with the mother of someone on the team.

On Tuesday, the Blackhawks placed Perry on waivers for the purposes of contract termination and following that decision, GM Kyle Davidson met with the media to discuss the issue surrounding Perry. It was there he revealed that an incident had occurred prior to their game against Columbus, but it did not involve any other players or their families and called those rumours "disgusting".

Today, Perry released a statement regarding his leave from the Hawks and opened up about what happened.

"I would like to sincerely apologize to the entire Chicago Blackhawks organization, including ownership, management, coaches, trainers, employees, and my teammates. I would also like to apologize to my fans, and my family. I am embarrassed and I have let you all down.


As a result of my actions, there has been speculation and rumors. I am sickened by the impact this has had on others, and I want to make it clear that in no way did this situation involve any of my teammates or their families. Most importantly, I want to directly apologize to those who have been negatively affected and I am sorry for the additional impact to others it has created. My behavior was inappropriate and wrong.

I have started working with experts in the mental health and substance abuse fields to discuss my struggles with alcohol and I will take whatever steps necessary to ensure this never happens again. I hope to regain the trust and respect of everyone who has believed in me throughout my career.

Once again, I am deeply sorry."

It is a very unfortunate situation that Perry, his family and the Bedard family have been put in thanks to social media and it was very clearly not the reason for his absence. It is unclear as to how long Perry will be away from the game of hockey or if he will ever resume his career, but hopefully he is able to get the help he needs and is able to resume/end his career on his own terms.

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Corey Perry releases statement regarding his departure from the Blackhawks

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