Lawyer for Patrick Kane's accuser quits case over issue with evidence bag

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — The lawyer of a woman accusing Chicago Blackhawks star Patrick Kane of sexual assault abruptly quit the case Thursday night, saying he’s no longer comfortable representing the woman because of how her mother reported finding an evidence bag they believed once held the woman’s rape kit.

Thomas Eoannou told reporters he doesn’t believe the story he was told about how the bag was found. But he said he’s still confident in the woman’s allegations against Kane.

“I don’t know how that reflects, and I don’t think it does, on the night in question,” Eoannou said of the confusion over the bag.

The woman’s mother did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment from The Associated Press. The AP does not identify people who may have been sexually assaulted unless they have come forward and voluntarily identified themselves.

The reversal comes after police said Wednesday that the rape kit and its packaging were handled properly. Erie County District Attorney Frank Sedita, reached at home after the news conference, declined comment but said he would address the issue on Friday at a previously scheduled news conference.

Eoannou said he confirmed with prosecutors investigating the case that the bag is authentic. But he says he doesn’t know what evidence the bag contained.

Eoannou raised questions about the bag on Wednesday, saying the folded up paper bag was found by the woman’s mother in between her storm door and her front door.

“I don’t know what’s true and what’s not true,” Eoannou said Thursday night.

The case has been the source of intense speculation and rumor since early August, when Kane was accused of assaulting the young woman in his waterfront mansion after they met at a nightclub. He has not been charged. Authorities have said only that they are investigating.

Kane last week said he did nothing wrong and expected to be absolved. He also apologized for the distraction he has caused his family, teammates, the Blackhawks jersey organization and fans.

Veterans Hejda, Visnovsky attempting to continue careers with Blackhawks

CHICAGO -- Jan Hejda and Lubomir Visnovsky celebrated birthdays this summer that moved them closer to 40.

Hejda, who turned 37 in June, and Visnovsky, who turned 39 in August, realize their careers are winding down, but they still possess the desire to play and feel they’re capable of helping an NHL team. Right now, both are focused on making the Chicago Blackhawks Jerseys that team.

Both defensemen ended up in Chicago under similar circumstances. Hejda’s contract expired with the Colorado Avalanche after last season, and Visnovsky’s deal ended with the New York Islanders. Both were hopeful for new contracts come July, but they were among a number of NHL veterans who found the free-agency market to be unreliable.

With nothing permanent in front of them, their agents approached them with the opportunity to attend the Blackhawks’ training camp on professional tryout agreement. Hejda and Visnovsky agreed.

“Obviously it’s different especially at my age,” Hejda said. “I was hoping to get a contract before camp starts, but that didn’t happen. The market was a little weird this year. Then the Blackhawks contact my agent, I feel like, wow, this is a three-time Stanley Cup champion in the last six years, so this is something which is great.”

Visnovsky approached camp with a similar mindset.

“My last 15 years I’ve had a contract,” Visnovsky said. “It’s the first time I got a tryout. I enjoy it. It’s no pressure. Just play hockey and I show I’m ready for the NHL and try to help the team.”

Daniel Paille out to prove himself at Blackhawks camp

CHICAGO -- Daniel Paille knew his time with the Boston Bruins was likely coming to an end late last season after he routinely found himself as a healthy scratch.

Paille’s production and possession numbers slipped last season, and he ultimately fell out of Bruins coach Claude Julien’s favor. Paille was benched the final nine games of the regular season, and it didn't come as a shock when the Bruins didn’t extend him another contract in the offseason.

“Toward the end of the season, I could kind of see that there was like a different direction that we were going, and unfortunately it didn't end as well as I'd like there,” Paille said Tuesday. “So, it wasn't a surprise when it came to that decision. But at the same time, I enjoyed the experience in Boston. I played six years there and to play that role that long on a team like that is fairly rare, so I was grateful for that experience.”

Now, Paille is just as grateful for a chance with the Chicago Blackhawks Jersey on a professional tryout agreement. Paille would have certainly preferred to sign somewhere on an NHL contract earlier in the summer, but he came into training camp optimistic he could earn a spot with the defending Stanley Cup champions.

Paille, 31, has made a career out of being a versatile, hard-working, bottom-six forward, and he's out to prove he can still carve out a role.

"I think you try not to approach it differently,” Paille said of training camp. “Obviously a contract gives you a little bit more comfort, but you still try to give that work ethic every day, and for me, I think I haven't really changed my approach going into the camp. I think the only difference is I don't have a contract. But I feel that I give my best every day and I hope that someone recognizes it. Hopefully, Chicago does.”

Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville is closely watching. The Blackhawks don’t have a whole lot of positions to fill in camp, but there is an opening or two on the bottom two lines.

Blackhawks camp allows Patrick Kane to take 'mind off things'

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Patrick Kane Jersey felt like a hockey player again the past few days.

While Kane remains under investigation for an alleged sexual assault in Hamburg, New York, he said attending the Chicago Blackhawks’ training camp allowed him to concentrate on something other than his off-ice situation.

“It’s nice to be around my teammates and playing hockey,” Kane said after the Blackhawks wrapped up camp at Notre Dame on Sunday. “When I’m on the ice, just trying to focus on that. It definitely takes your mind off things.”

Kane and the Blackhawks didn’t decide until late last week whether Kane would attend training camp because of the investigation. Blackhawks president and CEO John McDonough said Thursday Kane was invited to camp after discussions with his legal team.

Kane has no regrets attending camp. The experience was all positive for him.

“It was a great weekend,” Kane said. “I had a blast with my teammates, fun seeing the guys, fun hanging out with them. It was really good for me to be here, hanging out with my teammates, enjoying everything, being on the ice. It was a good weekend.”

Kane received a warm welcome from Blackhawks fans when training camp opened on Friday and was shown continued support throughout the three-day camp. He also said he didn’t feel uneasy being out in public at Notre Dame's football game on Saturday. He has been secluded to his home mostly since the investigation began in early August.

“I think when you’re there with the organization, all your teammates, it doesn’t even cross your mind of being outside in the public,” Kane said. “It seemed like the support was good here all weekend. I thought it was great watching the game, fun being in such a historic venue, watching the players warm up, watching the game and just enjoying everything that came with it. It was a fun day.”

Report: DNA evidence could help Patrick Kane in rape case

According to The Buffalo News, evidence from a DNA test may work in Patrick Kane Jersey's favor in the Blackhawks star's rape case.

The paper reports that tests taken from a rape kit conducted on the woman alleging Kane sexually assaulted her found no trace of Kane's DNA in the woman's genital area or her undergarments.

Although there is reportedly none of that particular evidence, it does not mean Kane is not guilty of sexual assault, and he remains under investigation for the events that occured the night of Aug. 2 in Hamburg, N.Y. His DNA was reportedly found beneath the woman's fingernails and on her shoulders.

“The absence of DNA and semen, in itself, does not prove that there was no rape,” Florina Altshiler, a Buffalo attorney who worked as a sex-crimes prosecutor in Alaska, told the News. “It proves that there was no ejaculation, or possibly, that the perpetrator wore a condom.”

The county's former D.A., Frank J. Clark, believed that if the vaginal swabs showed no sign of Kane's DNA, it “could very well exonerate him of rape.”

The News confirms previous reports that representatives of Kane and the victim are attempting to negotiate an out-of-court civil settlement, though Kane's attorney has denied those talks have occurred. Kane reported to Chicago's training camp this week on the Notre Dame campus and has not been punished by the team.

• MUIR: Kane presser reveals Blackhawks' tone-deaf stance

“This has been an incredibly difficult time for many people,” Kane read from a statement Thursday, speaking publicly for the first time since the incident. He declined to answer questions regarding the case in any way. “I cannot apologize enough for the distraction this has caused my family, my teammates, this incredible organization and of course, our fans. While I have too much respect for the legal process to comment on an ongoing matter I am confident that when all the facts are brought to light, I will be absolved of having done nothing wrong.”