Vancouver Warriors sign player arrested for domestic violence last year

The Vancouver Warriors have signed a player who was arrested twice last year — once for a domestic violence-related offence, and once for driving while intoxicated.

The lacrosse team announced Chase Scanlan’s arrival last week, joining as a free agent.

The former Syracuse University star was arrested in May of last year and charged with a domestic-violence related offence, before he was arrested for driving while intoxicated and without a licence a few months later in September. Those arrests happened in two different parts of New York State.

✍️ The Vancouver Warriors have signed Free Agents Harrison Smith and Chase Scanlan. pic.twitter.com/T8SA9DNN7V

— Vancouver Warriors (@nllwarriors) September 6, 2022

Ultimately, Scanlan made a deal in April of this year to avoid a criminal conviction on the domestic violence-related charge if he stays clear of the law for another year. That process, known as an adjournment in contemplation of dismissal, is still underway — and technically criminal charges of mischief remain pending, according to the Onondaga County District Attorney’s office.

Beyond avoiding any legal problems, Scanlan’s deal to avoid conviction also contains a requirement not to contact his victim. He has also taken domestic violence prevention classes.

In terms of the incident itself, the woman victimized by Scanlan told police at the time that he had restrained her on a bed, squeezing her so hard she feared for her life. Those details were filed in a police report that outlets in New York State published at the time.

Scanlan responds

In response to a request from CityNews for comment on this story, the Warriors provided this statement on Scanlan’s behalf:

“I am 22 years old and I grew up on the Seneca Reserve in Western New York. I came from a large family with three brothers and six sisters. My parents broke up when I was very young. For years, I was without a father, and then when my papa came back into my life, I watched my parents continue to fight. I remember when the child services workers came to my school to ask me which parent I wanted to live with.

“A release for my family troubles was the game of lacrosse. I embraced it from the start and it is ingrained into our Iroquois culture. My grandfather makes traditional lacrosse sticks and when I was born, I was given one. I was grateful to get a high school lacrosse scholarship in Florida and later at the university level. I am currently living on the Squamish Nation reserve, and I have made many friends. I have been playing lacrosse locally with the Langley Thunder and I have grown to love the Vancouver region.

“I realized that, especially with my background, the college sports culture of excessive drinking was wrong for me, and that I needed to be a better person.

“Earlier this year, I gave up drinking, had counselling, and committed myself to be the best role model I can be, especially for First Nations youth. I am grateful to the Vancouver Warriors for their faith in me, and I hope that the passionate fans of the Warriors will allow me to prove myself, both on and off the field.”

The Warriors also provided a statement, writing “[Scanlan] is fully aware of the degree to which the Warriors take seriously the issues and reports surrounding his previous conduct and the standard of conduct that will be expected of him. The players and employees of the Vancouver Warriors, with no exception, adhere to the highest standards of conduct.”

Vancouver Warriors ‘not acknowledging reality of intimate partner violence’: women’s advocate

That statement from the team does not impress Angela Marie MacDougall, the executive director of Battered Women’s Support Services.

“Unfortunately, the team is not acknowledging the reality of intimate partner violence, and for that matter, sexualized violence,” MacDougall said. “I’ll put those together, unfortunately. This minimization is a serious problem, actually. I don’t have faith that the Warriors can be a resource to this young man right now, given what he’s done. The young woman that he’s alleged to have harmed thought she was going to die. This is serious and nobody’s talking about that. I’m quite concerned about the Warriors’ decision to not speak directly to the issues of intimate partner violence.”

MacDougall said she respects and appreciates Scanlan sharing his story, which provides further context. But she says a 14-week domestic abuse program isn’t enough. MacDougall also said she’s concerned Scanlan did not address the domestic abuse incident directly in his statement. Multiple times during an interview with CityNews, MacDougall referenced the problematic culture that often exists within professional and amateur sports.

“I just don’t want us to lose track of the woman in this story,” MacDougall said.

“We don’t know her, we don’t know how she’s doing. She took the effort to make a report to the police. And I’m telling you, that is rare. It takes a lot to decide to think the criminal legal system is going to be helpful, and she did that. What we don’t know is what she thinks right now about this. I really wonder how she’s feeling about this, and what she would want in this circumstance. And we won’t know that.”