The NHL has completed its independent review of the Patrick Kane matter and concluded the allegations made against the Chicago Blackhawks star forward were unfounded, the league announced Wednesday.
Advertisement
Wednesday’s statement from the National Hockey League said commissioner Gary Bettman had an in-person meeting with Kane in NY on Monday, which served as the final stage of the review process.
“The NHL has concluded that the allegations made against Kane were unfounded”, a statement from an NHL official read. After a lengthy investigation by local authorities, no charges were filed against the Chicago Blackhawks forward. The NHL considers the matter closed and won’t comment further.
In calling “the matter closed”, the league took into account Erie County District Attorney Frank Sedita’s decision to not pursue charges in November following a three-month investigation. Sedita called the case “rife with reasonable doubt”.
Kane had been accused of raping a woman inside his house early August 2 after the two met at a bar in downtown Buffalo, though the investigation spiraled out of control after a freaky chain of events that included a hoax that raised concerns of evidence tampering in the case.
Kane and the alleged victim were at Skybar in Buffalo on Saturday night and went back to Kane’s home in Hamburg.
Kane tells writer S.L. Price about answering questions about the investigation, “There’s been plenty of times that I’ve wanted to defend myself in the whole situation, but it’s kind of in the past now”.
Advertisement
Kane, 27, holds a 16-point lead on the rest of the National Hockey League this season, racking up 38 goals and 51 assists for the first place Blackhawks in just 67 games.
