Reports: Flyers captain Giroux arrested, accused of grabbing cop's tush
Philadelphia Flyers superstar Claude Giroux reportedly spent Tuesday night in an Ottawa jail, accused of partying a little too hard.
The Ottawa Sun reported that Giroux was arrested on Canada Day after an incident with a police officer. A source told the paper that Giroux was detained after “repeatedly grabbing the buttocks of a male police officer.”
Alcohol was believed to be a factor, according to the report.
A witness and sources say the incident occurred at The Great Canadian Cabin in the Byward Market club district.
They say officers on routine patrols were inside the bar when one officer had his butt grabbed by a patron. The officer told the patron not to behave like that, but was grabbed again.
At that point, the patron was taken outside and arrested. The officer involved did not initially recognize Giroux.
Flyers general manager Ron Hextall released a short statement via Twitter on Wednesday morning.
Giroux is coming off one of the best seasons of his career. The Philly captain finished third in Hart Trophy voting after scoring 28 goals and adding 58 assists in 82 games for the Flyers — after a slow start seemingly caused by a bizarre golf injury last summer when Giroux shattered his club midswing, leading to surgery on his right index finger.
UPDATE: Giroux and Hextall released statements Thursday, per the team's website.
"I regret my actions on Canada Day and sincerely apologize to my fans, teammates and the Philadelphia Flyers organization for my misguided attempt at humor.
"Following an investigation, law enforcement determined that charges are not warranted. I have the utmost respect for law enforcement and apologize to the Ottawa Police Department and specifically the individual officer. I will be making no further public comment on this matter.
"I will not be distracted from my ongoing preparation for the upcoming season. I remain 100% committed and focused on working with my team to return the Stanley Cup to Philadelphia." -- Claude Giroux
“We’ve been in contact with Claude and the Ottawa Police Service and have been informed that no charges will be filed. Moving forward, we will deal with this incident internally and we will no longer publicly discuss this matter.” -- Flyers GM Ron Hextall
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