Five Canadian ice hockey players who were acquitted of sexual assault charges will be suspended to start the NHL season but can return December 1, the league said Thursday.

Michael McLeod, Alex Formenton, Dillon Dube, Carter Hart and Callan Foote were all found not guilty in Ontario Superior Court in July after a judge ruled that she did not find the testimony of their accuser "either credible or reliable."

The five players were charged last year with assaulting the woman in 2018 following a national men's junior team celebration.

All denied wrongdoing, claiming the woman -- whose identity is protected -- was a willing participant in a series of sex acts.

The NHL said in July they would remain ineligible to play until they were reinstated.

The NHL Players Association (NHLPA) said at t

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