Senators suspend AGM Randy Lee until court rules on harassment charge

The Ottawa Senators have suspended assistant general manager Randy Lee until his harassment charge is ruled upon in court, general manager Pierre Dorion announced Friday.

Lee was charged with second-degree harassment in late May after allegedly making lewd comments toward and rubbing the shoulders of a 19-year-old male shuttle bus driver in Buffalo. Lee was there to attend the scouting combine. Last week, he pleaded not guilty, and he'll be back in court July 6.

Here's Dorion's full statement:

As our hockey club's initial statement made clear, our Hockey Team - and our organization as a whole - will always hold our leaders, coaching staff, players and employees to the highest standards of behaviour.

Harassment in any form is unacceptable, whether it occurs inside or outside the work place. As a result, and with all the care and caution required in such cases, we have spent the past two weeks listening carefully to, and consulting with our community, our fan base and our partners to understand their expectations on the matter.

At the same time, we have worked with authorities in Buffalo, as well as with Randy Lee's lawyer, to ensure that Randy be granted the due process to which he is entitled. Until now, the Senators had never been made aware of a complaint against Randy, whether before or during his 23-year career with the team. He must be allowed to address the allegations against him through the court system.

That said, the questions that must be answered by Randy are unlikely to be addressed until his next court date - on July 6, 2018 - we believe the best way to live our values and enforce our standards of behaviour is to suspend Randy Lee until the allegations against him are ruled upon by the courts.

The suspension is effective immediately and applies both to Lee's work with the Ottawa Senators and our AHL team in Belleville.

The suspension means Lee will not be in attendance at next weekend's NHL draft. It also affects the team's American Hockey League affiliate in Belleville, where Lee serves as general manager.