Sens owner Eugene Melnyk gets apology from newspaper, releases statement

Over the last few years, no owner in the NHL, or perhaps the entire sports world, has had as much negative press as Eugene Melnyk, owner of the Ottawa Senators. Failed arena and real estate lawsuits, issues with a casino, star players being traded out of town, and legal issues over an airplane and pilot have plagued Melnyk at every turn. He hit the news again recently after word that the team was parting ways with it own charitable organization, the Ottawa Senators Foundation. A subsequent story printed in the Ottawa Sun has earned Melnyk an apology from the media outlet.

The apology from the Sun deals with articles written by reporter Rick Gibbons. Gibbons claimed that Melnyk was exercising improper influence over the Senators Foundation to "divert" charitable dollars raised in Ottawa to his Toronto-based charity for his own benefit. As well, Gibbons wrote that Melnyk views the charitable organization, which has a licensing agreement with the Ottawa Senators hockey club, "as an extension of the business as opposed to a quasi-independent entity with its own mandate and charter."

"...the Sun would like to clarify that it did not intend to suggest that Eugene Melnyk or the Ottawa Senators had exercised improper influence over the Ottawa Senators Foundation or that they had attempted to misdirect, misappropriate or misapply charitable funds of the foundation or The Organ Project,” the correction reads. “In addition, the Sun did not contact [Senators owner] Eugene Melnyk or the Senators for comment prior to the publication of both columns.”

Melnyk has since released a statement regarding the apology, which was distributed by NHL.com.

"The unequivocal public apology by the Sun for the inaccuracies and mistakes it published will not undo the damage to my personal and professional reputation, my charitable work, the hockey club, and the stress on my family," Melnyk said. "However, the apology is a necessary step to correct the falsehoods and to set the record straight."

You can read Melnyk's entire statement here.

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