The district attorney in Erie County says Chicago Blackhawks player Patrick Kane will not face charges after being accused of sexually assaulting a woman in his Buffalo-area home in the summer.
The former member of the London Knights maintained his innocence throughout the investigation, which was launched after a woman in her 20's accused him of raping her on August 2.
Erie County District Attorney Frank Sedita said on Thursday said a three-month investigation found that physical and forensic evidence tend to contradict the accuser's claim. He says he will not present the case to a grand jury for possible charges.
"The DNA results lend no corroboration whatsoever to the complainant's claim," says Sedita.
He says the accuser had recently signed an affidavit saying she did not want to press charges.
"The totality of the credible evidence — the proof — does not sufficiently substantiate the complainant's allegation that she was raped by Patrick Kane," Sedita says, "and this so-called 'case' is rife with reasonable doubt."
During the investigation, Kane's image was removed from the cover of the EA Sports video game, "NHL 16" and he was subjected to chants of "She said no!" and "No means no!" at some Blackhawks road games.
**with files from the Associated Press**
