NHL says players ineligible to join league while judge’s verdict is reviewed

The five players who were found not guilty of sexually assaulting a woman in a London, Ont., hotel room following a Hockey Canada gala in 2018 are ineligible to play in the National Hockey League, the league said in a statement.

“The allegations made in this case, even if not determined to have been criminal, were very disturbing and the behavior at issue was unacceptable,” the NHL statement read. “We will be reviewing and considering the judge’s findings.