Patrick Kane Accuser's Lawyer To Hold News Conference
JOHN WAWROW, AP Hockey Writer
BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — The lawyer representing the woman who has made an allegation of being sexually assaulted by Chicago Blackhawks star forward Patrick Kane has scheduled a news conference for Wednesday afternoon.
Thomas Eoannou confirmed in a text to The Associated Press on Tuesday that he will address reporters at his law office in downtown Buffalo. Eoannou did not provide any further details.
It will be the first time he has spoken publicly about the case since Hamburg police launched an investigation against Kane in early August.
Kane is accused of sexually assaulting a woman in her 20s at his offseason home in suburban Buffalo on Aug. 2.
Kane has not been charged.
Kane's lawyer, Paul Cambria, declined comment to The AP when asked about Eoannou's decision to hold a news conference.
Last week, Kane broke his silence regarding the investigation when reporting for the start of Blackhawks training camp at Notre Dame University.
Kane said he did nothing wrong and expected to be absolved. He also apologized for the distraction he has caused his family, teammates, the Blackhawks organization and fans.
Kane then declined to answer questions about the investigation, including how he would deal with playing for the Blackhawks when issues arose in the investigation.
"I can't answer that right now," said Kane, who in June helped Chicago win its third Stanley Cup title in six years. "I really do appreciate your question and know where you're coming from, but at this point in time to speculate about certain things that are going to happen just wouldn't be right."
On Tuesday night, Kane had an assist in the Blackhawks' preseason-opening 5-4 win over Detroit at Chicago. The two teams play again at Detroit on Wednesday night.
Officials have provided few updates on the investigation since it was first launched.
In his only public statement, Hamburg Police Chief Gregory Wickett said last month that the investigation involved something that may have happened at Kane's home overlooking Lake Erie. Wickett said police were gathering information and awaiting results of forensic tests.
Two weeks ago, Erie County District Attorney Frank Sedita postponed presenting evidence from the investigation to a grand jury, a person familiar with the proceedings told The AP. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because the grand jury proceedings were not made public.
The person said, the grand jury proceedings have not yet been rescheduled.
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