Randy Lee has announced his resignation as Assistant GM of the Ottawa Senators. He also announced his resignation as GM of Ottawa’s AHL affiliate the Belleville Senators. Lee has been suspended since June 15th after he was arrested on June 1st for touching and making lewd comments to a 19-year-old hotel shuttle driver.
Senators announce Randy Lee resigned as Assistant General Manager of the Ottawa Senators and General Manager of the Belleville Senators.
— John Shannon (@JSportsnet) August 21, 2018
Randy Lee Resigns
Lee spent the last 23 years in the Senators organization, including the last five years in his assistant and general manager positions. He previously spent time as a video coach and in player development before moving into a management position. In a statement from his personal email to the Ottawa Sun Lee said “My suspension has given me more time to spend with my loved ones than ever before. For the past 23 years, my family has taken a back seat to my career. My focus now is on putting them first”.
In each of his five years as GM of the Belleville Senators, the team failed to make the playoffs.
Lee pleaded not guilty to charges of lewd remarks and inappropriate touching. His next trial date is set for September 13th in Buffalo. If Lee is found not guilty he could still face a civil suit from the driver. The Senators have hired Buffalo lawyer Paul Cambria to deal with all matters regarding Lee going forward.
What This Means for the Senators
The Senators announced they will begin a search for a new assistant manager effective immediately. Sens general manager Pierre Dorian has seen to most of Lee’s duties during his suspension.
The Sens still have a lot on their plate regarding Erik Karlsson and his long-term contract negotiations. Karlsson has one year left on his current deal and is expecting a big pay raise on his next contract.
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