Former NHL player Ryan Kesler has been arrested and charged with two misdemeanor counts of fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct related to alleged inappropriate contact with a 16-year-old child earlier this year.
Kesler, 41, was arraigned on Monday, Oct. 27 in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, and plead not guilty to the charges in court. The allegations include sexual contact “through force or coercion and/or (had) reason to know the victim was physically helpless,’ according to a criminal complaint filed by police in Orchard Lake, Michigan, and obtained by USA TODAY Sports.
The alleged incident was reported on Jan. 2 and the Oakland County 48th District Court docket lists the event date as Jan. 1. Authorities filed charges and obtained a warrant for Kesler’s arrest on Oct. 23. Kesler posted a $50,000 bond and was ordered not to leave the state without court permission. His next scheduled court appearance is a Nov. 6 probable cause conference.
‘Ryan emphatically denies the allegations and is completely innocent of the charges,’ Kesler’s attorney, Robert Morad, told The Athletic on Monday. ‘As the legal process begins, we ask for respect for his privacy and for the integrity of the judicial system. We are confident, when all the facts and circumstances are presented, that he will be fully exonerated.’
Kesler played 15 seasons in the NHL with the Vancouver Canucks and Anaheim Ducks and twice represented the United States in the Winter Olympics. He appeared in 1,001 NHL games and finished his career with 258 goals and 573 points. The Livonia, Michigan, native last played in an NHL game in 2019.
Kesler was in his third season as a head coach with the Little Caesars AAA Hockey Club. The elite Detroit-area youth program told The Athletic that Kesler was ‘removed from his position while this matter is addressed by the judicial system,’ but that the allegation was not connected to the organization.