Hockey player from Brantford, Ont. says he was threatened by members of his own team

The following story contains threats of sexual violence.

For many hockey players, some of their favourite memories come from hitting the ice with their team when they were young.

For one boy from Brantford, Ont., that’s certainly not the case.

Courtney Rawson said her son, 14-year-old Tavin Rollins, has been facing a deluge of threats from some of the people he used to call teammates.

“They started off with, ‘We’re going to mess up his equipment. Let’s put hot sauce in his water bottle. Let’s shoot pucks at his head. We’re getting him jumped at school. I’m going to step on your throat and I’m going to rape you,” she recounts.

Rawson said the messages came through a group chat called ‘Kill Tavin.’

“They added me to it while I was sleeping, so I had no idea of it until I woke up,” Tavin said.

Rawson said she was shocked and disgusted by the messages, but she said it doesn’t stop there.

According to Rawson, some members of Tavin’s now former team, the Brantford 99ers, also pelted the goalie during practices.

“You could tell with some of their looks that they were purposely aiming at my head,” Tavin said.

Rawson and Tavin said the bullying continued for months.

“He’s almost 15-years-old. I would just dop him off, [but then] I no longer felt safe just leaving him at the arena. He wouldn’t let me leave the arena. That was a big eye opener as well,” Rawson said.

CTV News Kitchener reached out to the Brantford 99ers, but they declined an interview.

However, the team did put out a statement earlier this week, as the bullying allegations began to spread on social media.

“The Board of Directors is aware of the recent statements and discussions circulating on social media concerning our organization,” the statement reads, in part.

“The safety and well-being of all minors in our programs are our top priorities. From the moment this situation was brought to our attention, members of the Board have been actively involved, working diligently to address the matter. As volunteers, we are fully committed to following Hockey Canada’s guidelines for addressing incidents of maltreatment, ensuring all concerns are handled thoroughly, fairly, and with sensitivity to everyone involved,” the statement goes on to say.

“The trust you place in us as stewards of your children’s safety is not taken lightly, and we share in the collective concern for the situation,” they add.

The investigation

Rawson said she first brought the bullying allegations to the 99ers and the Brantford Minor Hockey Association in October. She said things did get better for a short time.

Then, in mid-January, Rawson saw the troubling comments made in the group chat. She submitted an official complaint through the ‘Safe Sport’ section of the team’s website, which directs complaints to sportscomplaints.ca, Hockey Canada’s Third-Party Investigator (TPI).

Phillip McKee, Executive Director of the Ontario Hockey Federation (OHF) which oversees the Brantford Minor Hockey League, spoke with CTV News Friday morning.

“We are aware there was some information provided to Brantford Minor Hockey back in October,” McKee said.

“We’re working with Brantford Minor Hockey to get all the details of that information, to ensure we have an understanding of what was submitted then,” McKee added.

The OHF said the Third-Party Investigator will also look into if policies were properly followed in the fall and how much evidence was shared at the time.

It is unclear what kind of discipline the players or team staff could face if the investigation confirms the allegations are true.

“All discipline, once a case is taken on by the ITP is determined by the adjudicator,” McKee said.

“We don’t support bullying in any manner,” McKee added.

Meanwhile, the Brantford Police Service is also aware of the complaints.

“BPS are aware of the situation involving serious allegations of bullying in minor hockey,” the organization wrote on social media.

“The Brantford Police Service takes all allegations of this nature seriously, particularly those involving minors,” they add.

Getting back on the ice

As the investigation continues, Tavin has found a way to get back into the game with a new team.

The Oxford Warlords have added the netminder to their ranks.

“We would like to officially welcome Tavin to the Oxford Warlords U15 team. Thanks to the ORHL and all club owners for unanimously approving him to play in our league for the remainder of this season. We are glad to have you,” a post from the team’s official social media account reads.

Although he’s now playing in a different city and in a different league, Tavin said it’s already made a difference.

“That was the first time in a while that I’ve left practice with a smile on my face,” he said.

“The important part is that Tavin does have a place to play,” McKee said.

“We’ll continue to support the family in whatever way we can in this manner. If they need support and help from us as an organization to understand opportunities for Tavin to play in the future, we will work with them as well with regards to that,” he said.

But for Rawson, she said no matter what the outcome of the investigation is, she no longer feels comfortable allowing her son to play with the Brantford organization.

Solidarity and support

Since the story began circulating on social media, many people have come to Tavin’s defence.

He even got a shout out from Jeremy Brodeur, son of former NHL star Martin Brodeaur and goalie for the Adirondack Thunder in the ECHL minor professional ice hockey league.

“I’m a goaltender as well and I know it’s never easy, but I just wanted to say me and all the boys in Adirondack are behind you and minor hockey is the most fun time of your life so we all want you to keep enjoying it and never give up. Stay strong, keep playing hard and keep working and just keep having fun,” he said.Former NHL player Dwayne Hay also sent Tavin a message.

“I spoke to him on a live chat, and he was in good spirits. We had some laughs and talked a little bit about hockey and a little bit about life and I certainly let him know that us as humanity and the hockey community, we’re certainly there for him throughout this process. Way beyond when this is dealt with, and hopefully there are consequences for these other young lads, we will stay in touch. I will be a part of Tavin’s hockey and his wellbeing going forward. Just doing my small part to make sure that we’re taking care of our youth,” Hay said.

“It’s not just about Tavin. This stuff has to stop, period. This happened when I was a kid. It’s obviously happened all the way in-between and somehow we seem to be in a worst place than ever, maybe because there are more outlets and more ways to bully. It needs to stop,” he added.

“These people that are doing things to target people, premeditated action, should be removed. You are not playing at all. To me these boys who did this in Brantford – I’m not saying they’re forever going to be terrible humans, but they have made a terrible mistake and there needs to be big consequences. And if you don’t have big consequences you don’t learn, you don’t change. Why should you have the right to do something that you love to do when you’ve taken that right away from somebody else who just wanted to be part of a team, a good teammate, and a good kid,” he said, emotion clear in his voice.