BOSTON (FOX 25 / MyFoxBoston.com) The father of a hockey player who once played for Anthony DeSilva claims he tried to warn the U.S.A. Hockey League about DeSilva back in 2010. This comes as DeSilva is facing charges for alleged attempts at soliciting sex from who he thought were teenage boys on the Internet.
The player was 18 years old when he played for the Mass. Maple Leafs. He says DeSilva acted inappropriately on several occasions, including one night when DeSilva crawled into his bed while the team was staying at a hotel.
"Yeah, I'm lying in bed and he's like creepy and gets like close to me and tries cuddling with me," says the former player. "I'm like almost on the edge of my bed."
The former player also tells FOX 25 that DeSilva sent him inappropriate text messages and e-mails. He adds DeSilva punched him and other players in an inappropriate spot on several occasions.
FOX 25 discovered the former player's father complained about DeSilva's behavior to several members of the U.S.A. Hockey Organization via e-mail. He states, "Tony has acted beyond inappropriate with my son and numerous other players."
The e-mail also includes the father warning the league to take action before, "This man seriously hurts one of the players or someone else."
According to the former player, U.S.A. Hockey said there was nothing they could do because he was 18 and he needed to file a complaint, not his father. He tells FOX 25 he left the team and did not come forward because he was embarrassed and didn't want to hurt his team. Now, the player feels recent accusations against DeSilva may not have happened if the organization properly investigated a year ago.
A U.S.A. Hockey spokesperson says, "We take the safety of players seriously and investigate all claims including from former players. DeSilva has been suspended from all U.S.A. Hockey activity."
DeSilva has worked with several teams in Massachusetts over the years. He was an assistant hockey coach at Taunton High School last year. He has since been dismissed. The 41-year-old was also formerly an umpire with Middleboro Babe Ruth Baseball. He founded the Mass. Maple Leafs in 1997.
DeSilva is expected to be arraigned in Florida on Saturday for 10 counts of use of a computer to seduce a child and one count transmission of material harmful to a child.
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