Chicago Blackhawks star Patrick Kane is under investigation by police in upstate New York for an allegation of rape, according to reports by the Buffalo News and NBC station WGRZ.
Both media outlets are quoting unnamed law enforcement sources. Details surrounding the allegation weren’t immediately available and NBC Chicago could not independently confirm the report.
The Buffalo News reported the 26-year-old forward is being investigated in Hamburg, where he lives during the offseason.
"We are aware of the matter and are in the process of gathering information," the Chicago Blackhawks said in a statement. "It would be inappropriate to comment further at this time."
Frank Brown, a spokesperson for the NHL, said in a statement that the league is "aware and following developments."
The Erie County District Attorney’s Office said it had no comment on the matter.
The Hamburg Police Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Paul Cambria, an attorney who has represented Kane in the past, told The Buffalo News he had no comment.
A search on Twitter shows alleged sightings of Patrick Kane, in and around the Hamburg and Buffalo area, throughout last weekend.
One man posted a photo last Saturday with a caption: “Nice round of golf with @88PKane.”
Then, just after midnight that evening a series of tweets appear to place Kane at the SkyBar, an open-air rooftop bar in Buffalo.
At 1:05 a.m.: “Pat Kane sighting at sky bar.”
Twenty-two minutes later, another person tweets that her friend is “mad [that] pat kane is giving me those eyes.”
Then at 2:15 a.m., yet another person tweets: “Pat Kane is [s—t]-bombed at the bar. Told me he was too bombed for a pic, so of course I snap chatted a pic of him anyway.”
NBC 5 also found a series of tweets from Sunday night in which three women each allegedly spotted Kane at an Anderson’s Frozen Custard shop in the Buffalo area. One said she blew him a kiss.
Kane in 2009 pleaded guilty to misdemeanor disorderly conduct charges to avoid jail time after he and his cousin were accused of beating up a cab driver over a fare.
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He was also spotlighted in May 2012 following Cinco de Mayo celebrations after photos of him partying at the University of Wisconsin in Madison went viral.
Stan Bowman, general manager at the time, called those reported acts from Kane “disappointing” and said they “handled it internally.”
Kane jokingly acknowledged the past acts during Stanley Cup celebrations in Chicago earlier this summer.
“I know you said I’ve been growing up, but watch out for me the next week,” he said at the Hawks championship rally in Soldier Field.
