Ottawa Redblacks Suspend Chris Larsen Amid Homophobic Assault Investigation
A 24-year-old man was severely injured in a beating in Toronto last weekend.
The Ottawa Redblacks announced on Thursday that they've suspended defensive lineman Chris Larsen amid allegations that he attacked a man with two other individuals.
"Late last night, we were made aware of social media allegations of an assault by a group of individuals that included Chris Larsen and immediately commenced an investigation which is ongoing," wrote Mark Goudie, CEO of the team's parent company, in a statement.
The assault took place at the Hanlan's Point ferry docks on the night of June 5 and left the 24-year-old victim with "significant injuries," Toronto Police Service stated in a press release.
Police stated that he and a 27-year-old woman were walking to the ferry docks when they "became involved in a disagreement with a group of people." The report then states that a man from the group made homophobic comments at them, and two men from the group assaulted the 24-year-old by "punching and kicking him."
A GoFundMe page has identified the victim as David Gomez, and has raised over $38,000 at the time of publication to support his recovery and legal fees.
"David and a friend found themselves in danger when they were outnumbered by a group of folks (approx 5+) shouting and hurling homophobic slurs at them until things reached a boiling point, which compelled the attackers to become violent, leaving David incapacitated and in need of serious medical attention," said the GoFundMe's description.