Sheldon Kennedy urges other potential victims to come forward
Posted Mar 7, 2014 4:39 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Former NHL’er and sex abuse survivor Sheldon Kennedy is reacting to the allegations against a former coach.
Alan John Davidson, 58, a Calgary resident and former Alberta Sheriff, was charged with eight counts of indecent assault dating back to the late 70’s and early 80’s.
The allegations stem from when he coached minor hockey and baseball in Clearwater, B.C., but RCMP believe there could be other victims involved.
“You’re not alone, and your voice will be heard”: that’s the message from Kennedy, who’s encouraging anyone who may have been affected by these allegations to come forward.
Kennedy says it’s sad, looking at how far back this stems, but it’s good news that these people, who’ve likely struggled with guilt and shame for decades have spoken out.
“It’s never (too) late to get your power back, and the way I see it is about getting your power back. It also shows, I guess, the ability we’ve given these people to have a voice.”
Decades have passed, but the wounds are likely still raw for those who’ve accused Davidson.
“We deal with an invisible damage. I mean it’s not until a child dies that we go, ‘oh that’s what happened’, but the reality is, this is the root cause of many things, and that’s why it’s so important that these individuals come forward if they need to,” he said.
We’ve come a long way, but Kennedy says we need to get to a place where we can deal with this kind of thing when it happens.
He’s encouraging anyone with information on the case to call the RCMP toll free tip line at 1-877-687-3377.
