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Quotes by Sheldon Kennedy

The following are quotes by Kennedy on his experiences.

"At 15 in the hockey world, it's a tough thing to do, to say a man has touched you or made sexual moves on you. You don't want to wreck your dreams." (Los Angeles Times, 1/7/97)

"For once, my story is out, and people know what's going on with Sheldon Kennedy. They know I'm not just some messed-up kid. I feel better about myself. It can only get better for me. It can't get worse. Everyone says it (coming forward) is courage. But for me, it was a need to do something for myself and for my family. For me, it was a need; for others, it's courage. I was put in this position for a reason. I want to let people know that a lot of this stuff goes on, not only in the sports world, but in the world. The victims don't say anything. Nobody involved says anything. It's a quiet thing. I wanted to make it known so people who are in these situations can feel more at ease, feel better about themselves." (Chicago Sun-Times, 1/12/97)

"I think I was just bluffing myself. The abuse was something I could never talk about. It is a scary thing in the sports world: [An abusive coach] is the door you will never get through to get to your dreams, unless you run into it, unless you do something about it and talk about it. But it is so hard." (Sacramento Bee, 1/9/97)

"I have always felt like I was not normal [because of the abuse]." (Washington Post, 1/8/97)

"If it's happened to other people, it takes a while to be able to (talk about it) and to know it was wrong and how much it's hurt you. Hopefully, I opened the door for people to deal with it. That's why I wanted to more or less come here today, because I'm sure there's 15-year-old kids, whatever kids in any sport or school or home that it's happening to that are just scared to come forward. And being in the NHL, I just feel that if I can open the door, it's going to show that it's all right." (Calgary Herald, 1/7/97)

"[Before the abuse started] I was always happy. I was always the funny guy, hyper. I don't know. I wasn't deprived or whatever, but I grew up on a farm and I was treated like a man at 10 years old. I took all the blame for what went wrong and it was rough. You know, I couldn't wait to get away from home, and to meet Graham . . . he was that thing a 14-year-old was looking for. He was a father figure, you know. He was that guy, especially for me." (Calgary Herald, 1/7/97)

"My dad and I weren't very close. I don't know how Graham could tell, but he knew." (Ottawa Citizen, 10/22/98)

"It's not over for him [Graham James]. He believes he didn't do anything wrong. And there are other victims. It's going to take time before they're ready to come forward. I am feeling better and better, but I have no idea how I'm going to feel. I have never played without this on my mind. It's nice to be able to concentrate on hockey. "I'm looking at a situation in which I can get back into the rhythm of hockey, preparing for games and winning. I've won every championship you can win except the Stanley Cup. Now I hope I can win that."

"He kept me with him all the time, on all the trips. It was like we were married. It was unbelievable. There is no doubt that Graham loved me, that he was infatuated with me. But it is not right. I told him that time after time, that it was not right. He was just a very smart, manipulative man." (Ottawa Citizen, 10/22/98)

"I guess I looked at the game of hockey in a different set of eyes than anybody else would because of what happened to me...I was always jealous of the guys that could come to the rink, enjoy it, play hockey, have fun, go home and watch hockey and enjoy it. That's something I guess I was never a part of." (Cleveland Plain Dealer, 12/3/98)

"It's [sexual abuse] an issue that is a lot bigger than people think. For some reason, I don't know why, but when somebody has the flu, you send them to the hospital, and they're supposed to make themselves feel better. When somebody has been sick or hurting or not feeling well because they've been abused in their life, for some reason, they're supposed to stay quiet." (Cleveland Plain Dealer, 12/3/98)

"People knew and didn't let on that they knew. At 27, people were still trying to hush me up." (Montreal Gazette, 6/22/98)

"I had a hard enough time dealing with it when I was 28. I can't imagine a kid who's 10 or 12 trying to deal with it." (Toronto Star, 5/9/98)

"The biggest thing it affects is the mind. The ability to love and to trust are gifts, and they are stolen from people when abuse comes. It is so difficult to learn to love and trust and let people love me. That's the biggest struggle." (Montreal Gazette, 6/22/98)

"I've dealt with the big issue of Graham's abuse, but there are little problems that still have to dealt with. I don't wake up craving a drink, but sometimes I'll have a beer to relax." (Montreal Gazette, 10/27/98)

"I've got nothing to hide. Man, that's the coolest part of it all." (Montreal Gazette, 10/27/98)