Everything we know so far about the Corey Perry incident

Corey Perry was placed on waivers by the Chicago Blackhawks on November 28th for the purpose of terminating his contract following intense speculation about an alleged workplace incident involving him.

Perry was originally considered a replacement for a Nov. 22 game against the Columbus Blue Jackets, but as the week progressed the story evolved into something more serious.

Here’s everything we know so far.

Timeline of events

November 21: Perry practices normally with the Blackhawks

Perry was seen practicing as usual, taking photos with fans and staying late on the ice to work with rookie Connor Bedard on a routine shooting exerciseThis was the last time Perry was seen with the Blackhawks in an official capacity.

ESPN’s Emily Kaplan reported that the alleged incident occurred that day.

November 22: Perry is ruled out for the game against the Blue Jackets due to health reasons

Perry was listed as being removed from the roster for health reasons without the Blackhawks previously indicating he would miss that game.

November 23: Richardson describes the deletion as an “organizational decision”

Blackhawks head coach Luke Richardson sparked further speculation when he revealed that Perry’s withdrawal was an organizational rather than a tactical decision.

“I just wanted to start by saying that I know you have questions about Corey Perry not playing last night and not participating in practice today, but we’ll discuss that internally within the organization right now,” Richardson said, via Charlie Roumeliotis of NBC Sports. “I won’t be able to answer any further questions on that.”

Blackhawks players also publicly commented on Perry’s absence for the first time.

“We have a lot of young guys, so it’s a shock at first,” Blackhawks forward Nick Foligno said, via Mark Lazerus of The Athletic. “But it’s about being a professional. We’re talking about it and this is an opportunity.” This is the outside noise that you need to block out, whether it’s that or anything else that’s going on in your life.

Connor Bedard also commented on this topic.

“I’m not going to talk about it too much,” Bedard said of Perry’s absence. “Of course it’s a shame that he’s not here, but we don’t really have much information about it yet or anything, but of course he plays a big role in the team and it’s a shame that he can’t be here today.

November 25: Davidson announces that Perry will be out “for the foreseeable future.”

Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson told reporters that Perry will be out for the foreseeable future, clarifying that it was a team decision.

Perry’s agent released a statement saying his client was stepping down because of personal matters.

November 28: Blackhawks place Perry on waivers list for contract termination

Chicago placed Perry on waivers to terminate his contract, ending his tenure with the team. Amid rampant speculation about the mysterious nature of Perry’s absence, Davidson held a press conference later that afternoon.

November 29: Perry approves waivers

Perry cleared waivers and his contract was immediately terminated. He finished his Blackhawks career with four goals and nine points in 16 games for the franchise.

November 30: Perry releases statement

Perry broke his silence and released a statement apologizing for his behavior.

What did Corey Perry say about the incident?

Perry released a statement Thursday apologizing for his actions and saying he would seek help for his problems with alcohol. His full statement reads as follows:

“I would like to sincerely apologize to the entire Chicago Blackhawks organization, including ownership, management, coaches, instructors, staff and my teammates. I would also like to apologize to my fans and family.

“I’m embarrassed and I’ve disappointed you all. My actions led to speculation and rumors. The impact this has had on others sickens me and I want to make it clear that this situation in no way involved my teammates or their families.

“Above all, I want to apologize directly to those who were negatively affected, and I am sorry for any additional impact it had on others. My behavior was inappropriate and wrong.”

Blackhawks GM dismisses ‘disgusting’ rumor about Connor Bedard’s mother

After the team placed Perry on the waiver list, Davidson began his press conference by debunking a vile and unfounded rumor about Perry and Bedard’s mother.

Davidson then revealed that Perry was involved in an incident with a team employee that occurred on November 21 in Columbus.

“I can’t go into detail because it’s an individual personnel matter,” Davidson said.

Alcohol was reportedly involved

According to Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff, the incident was reportedly “fueled with alcohol” and allegedly occurred in Nashville on November 17. Seravalli added that the incident occurred during a corporate event organized by the Blackhawks and attended by sponsors and team employees, but he also pointed out that the timing, witnesses and the person who reported the incident to the Blackhawks are still unclear.

The incident was not criminal

Davidson was immediately asked if Perry was a criminal. He paused before explaining that “this is a workplace issue” — a phrase he repeated several times during his 10-minute news conference when asked about law enforcement or crime involvement.

NHL and NHLPA have been informed

Davidson also announced that the NHL and NHLPA are aware of the details of the Perry incident.

“The league was understanding of the situation, as was the NHLPA. All parties are informed, but it was a team incident so it is a team decision.”

Larry Brooks of the New York Post reported that the NHLPA is investigating the incident involving Perry and that the union has 60 days after his contract is terminated to file a grievance.

Blackhawks players don’t know what happened

Davidson said Blackhawks players don’t know details of the incident. He revealed that he met with the team on Tuesday and informed them of the organization’s decision to release Perry. Asked about the players’ reaction, Davidson said only that they had listened and did not say whether the players had given feedback.

Chicago defense attorney Seth Jones commented: per Lazerus.

“He’s a brother and we care about everyone in this room. We don’t know anything specific about what happened, but I know that the organization wants to maintain a certain level of behavior here and create a place where we hold each other to a standard. I guess that was broken.”