Training needed to combat pedophiles, says ex-player

WASHINGTON - Former National Hockey League player Sheldon Kennedy, sexually abused by his Canadian junior hockey coach, told US senators on Tuesday that training for adults is needed to combat pedophiles.

"Punishing the bad guys makes us feel good, but it does not fully solve the problem," Kennedy, a former right-winger with the Boston Bruins, Calgary Flames and Detroit Red Wings, told a Senate committee.

The hearing before the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee was the first by US lawmakers since the Penn State child sex abuse scandal involving former assistant coach Jerry Sandusky surfaced last month.

Sandusky, 67, accused of molesting 10 boys over an 11-year period, appeared in a Pennsylvania court on Tuesday where he waived a preliminary hearing in his case, sending it directly to trial.

Kennedy's former coach, Graham James, pleaded guilty in Canada last week to sexual assaults involving two former players, including NHL star Theo Fleury. He had already served 3 1/2 years in prison for abusing Kennedy and others in their youth, but was pardoned in 2007.

James threatened to end Fleury's dream of playing in the NHL if he revealed the abuse. Kennedy, who said he did not tell adults because he did not think he would be believed, also advanced through the juniors to the NHL.

"It's not my dream that I'm best known for, it's my nightmare," Kennedy said. "In my case, my abuser was International Hockey Man of the Year. In Canada, that gave him almost God-like status. Sound familiar?"

Kennedy was alluding not only to Sandusky, but also the defensive coordinator's boss, Penn State coach Joe Paterno, a giant in US college football who was fired after the Sandusky case hit the headlines.

"The man who preyed on me took advantage of his position as a coach to look for children who were especially vulnerable. These kids, and often their parents too, looked up to him as a hero.

"This was someone who could make their dreams come true and he used that trust to hurt them."

Kennedy, 42, is co-founder of Respect Group (www.respectgroupinc.com), based in Calgary, Alberta, which offers Internet training for adult youth-group leaders on how to prevent abuse, bullying and harassment.

Agence France-Presse