Brantford Minor Hockey Association (BMHA) has been facing backlash after the mother of a hockey player shed light on an incident of bullying within the organization.
Courtney Rawson, the mother of the 14-year-old hockey player, said the bullying has been happening since October, which she addressed in an an interview with Emily Tayler and CHCH News.
“It was just mostly banter, but it was getting pretty bad, like they were making fun of his appearance, his braces, they were whipping things at him while he was changing in the change room, when he has back turned,” said Rawson. “Then it just got a little bit more vile, but not as bad as what has occurred recently.”
The constant stream of bullying came to a head on January 6, when her son showed her a group Snapchat called “Kill Tavin.”
“I felt sick (when I first saw the group chat). I emailed the coach, then called the Brantford Police and also texted a board member from BMHA,” Rawson explained. “A police officer requested that I share all of the screenshots of the chat and, as far as I know, he did go and speak to, I know at least one of the parents and the boy face to face.”
The Brantford Police Service (BPS) issued a statement late last week regarding the ongoing investigation.
“BPS are aware of the situation involving serious allegations of bullying in minor hockey. The Brantford Police Service takes all allegations of this nature seriously, particularly those involving minors. Due to the involvement of young persons, we would like to remind the community that police are bound by the Youth Criminal Justice Act, which limits the information we can disclose. However, we want to assure the community that we are aware of the situation and continue to dedicate the necessary resources,” said the Police Service in the statement released on social media.
After going public with the incident, Rawson said Hockey Canada has opened an investigation.
“Hockey Canada reached out to us pretty quickly (after I went public). We uploaded all our evidence, if you want to call it that. And then we just kind of sat and we waited. We were then brought into a meeting with BMHA. At that point, it was recommended for Tavin to walk away from the team for his safety and mental health,” Rawson said.
With investigations now underway, Rawson said the experience has been trying for Tavin and the family.
“He was a little bit worried about going to school when it first happened, because he’s new to Branford. We are from Paris, so he’s new to Branford, so he was a little bit nervous about going to school because some of the threats and the messages. He wasn’t eating properly and he wasn’t sleeping so it was just it was tough for a little bit,” Rawson admitted. “But we’ve had a lot of people reach out and we’ve tried to get him to read the good messages, and not focus on the not so good ones.”
While the situation has been difficult, Rawson and Tavin have received support, not just from Brantford and area residents, but from across the region.
“It’s been a roller coaster but there’s a lot of people that reached out to us. A lot of a lot of love has come in for Tavin and for goalies. A lot of stories have came out, not just from Brantford Minor Hockey, but other organizations,” Rawson said. “And I’m like, someone needs to stand up, something needs to be changed. And Tavin said, ‘Mom, we got to do this for everybody, not just us.'”
As of press time, Tavin has found a new home for hockey with the Oxford Warlords of the Ontario Rep Hockey League (ORHL). The team put out the following post on social media late last week.
