The Swedish club hired an ex-NHL player involved in a rape case - fans were shocked: "Sickening"

Defender Cal Foote, 27, who was involved in the Canadian sexual assault case, is moving to Sweden’s SHL for the next season. He has signed a one-year contract with Färjestad BK.

Foote was one of five players from Canada’s under-20 national team in 2018 who were accused of sexual offenses. They were found not guilty last year. In addition to Foote, the accused included Dillon Dube, Carter Hart, Michael McLeod, and Alex Formenton.

Färjestad states in their press release that they conducted a thorough assessment of Foote and the entire case before making the contract.

– We are aware of the history. We have conducted thorough research and careful evaluation before making our decision. We set high standards for all representatives of Färjestad BK. We welcome Cal with confidence to the team, says the club’s sports director Rickard Wallin.

Färjestad announced Foote’s contract on their website. Instead, the club did not publish the usual post about Foote on Facebook and Instagram but only linked to the press release in their stories, which is unusual. On X, Färjestad did not announce Foote’s contract in any way.

The hiring of Foote sparked outrage among Färjestad supporters. Fans flooded the club’s other social media posts on Instagram and X with direct comments. The anger is directed both at acquiring Foote and at the way it was communicated.

– Tear up Foote’s contract.

– You don’t even dare to announce the new recruitment on social media because you know it’s a mistake. Cowardly bastards. Damn it.

– Why aren’t you posting anything about Foote? Are you ashamed?

– There must be other players available? It’s sick to even consider this.

– What’s the next step? To acquire players from Russia? You are shitting on your supporters. Shame on you.

Färjestad’s communications manager Malin Abrahamsson told Hockeynews.se why the club chose to communicate about Foote’s contract in this way.

– I understand the reactions. It was our choice to present the acquisition through our website and app, along with a link to the article in Instagram and Facebook stories. This gave us the best opportunity to communicate the entire news and context that we deemed important to include in the publication.

Foote played last season in the AHL with the Chicago Wolves, where he scored 18 points in 48 regular season games (4+14=18) and 11 points in 21 playoff games (3+8=11). The season before that, he played in the top league in Slovakia.

In his career, Foote has played 145 regular season games (5+15=20) and 13 playoff games (0+2) in the NHL. He has represented the Tampa Bay Lightning, Nashville Predators, and New Jersey Devils.

Originally, Foote was the 14th overall pick in the first round by Tampa in 2017. He won the Stanley Cup with the team in 2021.