The first six games of the Newfoundland Growlers’ season will be played at the Coca-Cola Coliseum—the home of the Toronto Marlies.

All Growler’s home games have been suspended due to a workplace investigation involving allegations of disrespectful workplace conduct involving staff at Deacon Sports and Entertainment.

In a statement issued late Wednesday afternoon, the team says the city’s decision to suspend the Growler’s home games, pending an internal workplace investigation, has “significantly disrupted the operations of the ECHL, Toronto Maple Leafs, Adirondack Thunder, and Worcester Railers.

Deacon Sports and Entertainment is acknowledging the organizations disrupted by the turn of events for their understanding and offers its appreciation to the team’s fans for their continued support.

The team says information regarding the process for ticket refunds will be announced in the coming days and shared on their website.

Since the news broke, some have taken the situation to mean that the Growlers are done at Mile One, but Mayor Danny Breen disagrees. He reaffirms that the team has been suspended while the investigation is being done, and that the city has not “lost a tenant.”

He hopes that hockey can continue at Mile One, but their responsibility is to their employees and making sure such complaints are investigated “thoroughly and independently.”

(File photo.)

Meanwhile, Deacon Sports and Entertainment is denying accusations of disrespectful workplace conduct brought forward by St. John’s Sports and Entertainment.

The accusations are behind the city’s decision to suspend Growlers games at Mile One until an investigation into the allegations is carried out.

In a statement issued late last night, Deacon Sports and Entertainment says it “unequivocally” denies the accusations and is disappointed with the “unprecedented” penalty of suspension of the Growlers Hockey Club and restriction of access to team facilities which was levied on the organization without any due process.

That, says DSE, contradicts the terms of the lease agreement with SJSEL, including the Safe Workplace Agreement. Deacon Sports and Entertainment says it does not tolerate harassment of any kind.

Meanwhile, the city says any suggestion that they’re using its employees as an excuse to evict the team from Mile One is “categorically false.”

As for whether or not the timing of yesterday’s announcement was more than coincidental, the city says while the team has been talking about moving or building a new arena for months, the decision made has nothing to do with that. The city says the decision has nothing to do with indications that the team was making a move or the fact that tickets were not on sale October 20 as originally planned, and instead is related to respectful workplace conduct allegations.

St. John’s has posted a question and answer fact sheet to its website answering questions posed by the public regarding the ongoing dispute with the Growlers.