Mailloux: 'I regret doing this stupid, egotistical act'
On the morning after the Montreal Canadiens selected Logan Mailloux in the draft, the defenseman addressed the November incident that led him to renounce himself from the event before being chosen.
"During an intimate moment with a young woman, I took a picture of us without her consent. I sent it to my teammates to impress them. It was totally irresponsible and a stupid act that I committed without thinking twice," the prospect read from a statement.
"For that lack of judgment on my part, I was fined by Swedish law," he continued. "I know I caused a lot of harm to this person and their family, and I regret doing this stupid and egotistical act. I deeply regret it. What I did now is unfortunately a part of both her life and mine."
Mailloux acknowledged the impact his act had on the woman and said while he originally didn't want to be drafted, he accepts the possibility of joining the Canadiens because of how he views the organization.
"I've apologized to her but, nonetheless, this will follow her for the rest of her life, and for that, I deeply and sincerely regret it," he said. "I know I had said that I did not want to be drafted this year. But as a young man who wants to become a better person, I feel that being accompanied by the Montreal Canadiens organization will help me greatly.
"They have committed to helping me grow as a person, and I thank them for this. I've already started my personal journey, as I'm participating in professional counseling. I thank them for believing in me and giving me a second chance. I promise to not let anybody down. I want to use my personal story to be a part of the solution moving forward."
Mailloux took questions from reporters after reading the statement and further emphasized he has work to do to regain the public's respect.
"I think I have to earn back that trust, it's not something that should be given to me at all," he said.
Mailloux also revealed he had no contact with the Canadiens between the time he tweeted Tuesday and the draft Friday night.
On Tuesday, Mailloux asked teams not to draft him because he felt he hadn't shown enough maturity or character in light of the November charge for the Swedish equivalent of invasion of privacy and defamation. A player cannot officially withdraw from the draft.
The woman said all she wanted was a "heartfelt apology" from him in writing because she was uncomfortable meeting him in person.