Wild general manager named in whistleblower lawsuit
ST. PAUL, MN - AUGUST 22: Minnesota Wild general manager Bill Guerin speaks with the media at a press conference announcing his position at Xcel Energy Center on August 22, 2019 in St. Paul, Minnesota.(Photo by Bruce Kluckhohn/NHLI via Getty Images) ((Photo by Bruce Kluckhohn/NHLI via Getty Images) / Getty Images)
(FOX 9) - Minnesota Wild General Manager Bill Guerin has been named in a lawsuit regarding an incident that allegedly took place two years ago when he was the Pittsburgh Penguins assistant general manager.
The lawsuit against the Penguins claims a former minor league assistant coach was fired because he was a whistleblower to a sexual assault. That assistant coach says the head coach of the AHL team assaulted his wife in November 2018.
Seven months later, that assistant says he told Guerin about the incident. According to the lawsuit, Guerin told that assistant coach to "stay quiet." It was only days later the head coach resigned for what the team called "personal reasons."
Guerin is not a defendant in the lawsuit, he is named as an individual who the plaintiff says knew about the assault.
"When I learned of these allegations, I promptly brought them to Pittsburgh Penguins senior management," said Guerin in a statement. "The allegations were quickly investigated. I emphatically deny anything to the contrary."
A statement from the Wild read, "The Minnesota Wild has discussed this matter with Bill Guerin and fully supports him. As this is a matter of active litigation, we will have no further comment."