Before hitting the ice at the United Center for a preseason game against the St. Louis Blues Saturday, Chicago Blackhawks forward Patrick Kane sat down and addressed the recent events in the case in which he is accused of sexual assault.
"I don't really have anything to say over what transpired over the past 72 hours," Kane said. "I'm just going to focus here on the game tonight."
Kane also thanked his family, his girlfriend and the fans for supporting him, and he even added a "congratulations" to the Cubs for clinching the playoff berth Friday night.
"I think especially being around your teammates, being in an environment that you love to be a part of, that obviously helps," Kane said. "But there's still plenty of things that are obviously going on away from the rink that keep your attention."
On Friday, Erie County District Attorney Frank Sedita said the mother of the woman who accused Kane of sexual assault perpetrated an "elaborate hoax" when she delivered an evidence bag to her attorney.
Two days before, the family's lawyer, Thomas Eaonnou told reporters the alleged victim's mother had found the evidence bag inside the door of her home Tuesday afternoon. At that time, he suggested the bag had once contained the woman's rape kit and called into question all of the test results, which reportedly had excluded Kane's DNA.
By Thursday, Eaonnou had withdrawn the accusation, declaring he had been misled by his client's mother and announcing he was resigning from the case.
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Kane's lawyer, Paul Cambria, later suggested that mother and daughter alike should face charges, noting the daughter, who is the alleged victim, knew full well that the bag had been intended for her shirt and never contained the rape kit at all.
Kane remained quiet as the events unfolded, and on Saturday, he admitted he didn't know what would happen next.
"What's actually going to happen is speculation," Kane said. "So I don't know what's going to come next. ... If I start worrying about other things that's only going to mess with my head and mess with what I'm trying to do here. Obviously I'm trying to get my game back and get everything back on point. That's where my focus is right now."
