Blackhawks’ Patrick Kane dropped from NHL 16 game cover amid police investigation
Patrick Kane, left, and Jonathan Toews celebrate with the crowd during the Chicago Blackhawks’ Stanley Cup championship rally at Soldier Field on June 18.
Chicago Blackhawks star Patrick Kane has been dropped from the cover of EA Sports’ NHL 16 video game due to his involvement in a police investigation.
“In light of the ongoing investigation involving Patrick Kane, he will no longer be a spokesperson for the launch of EA Sports NHL 16,” the company said Wednesday. “He will not appear on the EA Sports NHL 16 cover nor participate in other EA Sports NHL 16 promotional activities.”
Kane and teammate Jonathan Toews were slated to appear on the cover of the game hoisting the Stanley Cup, which the Blackhawks won for the third time in six years in June.
NHL 16 will launch as scheduled on Sept. 16, with Toews alone on the front of the packaging, the company said.
The Buffalo News reported that a woman has accused Kane, 26, of raping her in his off-season home in Hamburg, N.Y., outside Buffalo, on Aug. 2. Hamburg Police and the Erie County district attorney’s office are investigating the allegations but no charges have been filed.
Police have released very little information about the investigation, saying only that they are gathering information and awaiting forensic results.
Kane and his attorney have not responded to the allegations.
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