Chicago Blackhawks All-Star forward Patrick Kane will not face rape charges because of a lack of credible evidence.
"The totality of the credible evidence -- the proof -- does not sufficiently substantiate the complainant's allegation that she was raped by Patrick Kane," Erie County District Attorney Frank A. Sedita III said in a statement Thursday.
"This so-called 'case' is rife with reasonable doubt," he added.
Sedita will not present the case to a grand jury. A three-month investigation showed greater signs that physical and forensic evidence "tend to contradict" a claim by Kane's accuser that she was raped Aug. 2 at Kane's offseason home in Hamburg, N.Y.
"I have repeatedly said that I did nothing wrong. I have respected the legal process and I am glad that this matter has now been closed and I will have nothing further to say going forward," Kane said Thursday in a statement released by the Blackhawks.
Kane could still be subject to discipline under the NHL's player conduct policy and the matter remains under review, according to NHL.com.
Results of DNA tests did not back up claims by the accuser required to bring rape charges, Sedita said.
In September, the accuser's attorney dropped the case when her mother was involved in a manufactured story about an unopened rape kit at their home.
Earlier this week the accuser notified authorities she was no longer interested in cooperating with their investigation.
Kane, 26, was the first overall pick in the 2007 draft. He has eight goals and 10 assists in 13 games in 2015-16.
