NHL Calls Allegations Against Blackhawks' Patrick Kane 'Unfounded,' Closes Matter
(CBS) After conducting an independent review, the NHL has the called sexual assault allegations against Blackhawks star Patrick Kane "unfounded" and closed the matter, the league announced Wednesday.
As part of the NHL's investigation, Kane had an in-person meeting with commissioner Gary Bettman on Monday in New York.
A woman who Kane partied with on the night of Aug. 1 claimed Kane raped her at his upstate New York home near Buffalo in the early morning hours of Aug. 2. The case caused heated debate and was full of twists and turns. In early November, Erie County District Attorney Frank Sedita chose to close the investigation and not pursue criminal charges, citing "significant material inconsistencies."
"The totality of the credible evidence – the proof – does not sufficiently substantiate the complainant's allegation that she was raped by Patrick Kane and this so-called 'case' is rife with reasonable doubt," Sedita wrote in a statement back in November.
Kane's amid a career year, with a career-high 89 points in 67 games. He's the MVP favorite, and the Blackhawks are second in the Western Conference.