Evander Kane cleared in NHL's gambling investigation, league begins new investigation on "additional unrelated allegations"
UPDATE: The San Jose Sharks and Evander Kane have mutually agreed to not have the forward attend training camp, the club announced late Wednesday night.
“The San Jose Sharks are aware of addition allegations that are unrelated to the National Hockey League’s initial investigations of Evander Kane,” the Sharks said in a statement. “We take the allegations very seriously and have been in communication with the NHL. The League will continue to have our full cooperation regarding the ongoing matter.”
#sjsharks say Evander Kane will not participate in training camp until further notice, in light of recent allegations that they take “very seriously.”
— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) September 23, 2021
ORIGINAL POST:
The National Hockey League has concluded its investigation into San Jose Sharks forward @Evander Kane and the allegations that he bet on league games.
The investigation, which was conducted by Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler LLP in conjunction with NHL Security, found no evidence to support the allegations, the league said in a statement on Wednesday…
#NHL announces investigation into accusations #sjsharks forward Evander Kane bet on hockey has been completed and "found no evidence to support those allegations." pic.twitter.com/raNuTsqgER
— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) September 22, 2021
The investigation featured a review of social media, court filings, and public data from Kane’s bankruptcy and divorce proceedings, patterns from his betting history over multiple years, along with interviews with members of the Sharks and Kane himself. Kane’s wife, Anna Kane, refused to participate in the hearings.
Kane and his wife are currently battling for custody of their one-year-old daughter and she’s pregnant with their second child. His wife alleged that Kane lost “almost one million dollars” gambling as Sharks played the Vegas Golden Knights in the 2018-19 Stanley Cup Playoffs. The form of gambling isn’t specified in the documents.
Kane has now been cleared of his gambling accusations, but Wednesday’s release from the league indicates that a separate investigation involving the player is ongoing…
“Additional unrelated allegations, however, involving potential wrongdoing by Mr. Kane have been brought to our attention. These allegations are being thoroughly investigated and the National Hockey League will have no further comment regarding their substance pending completion of that process.”
While the #NHL did not disclose in its latest press release wrapping the gambling accusation, safe bet that this is what caused them to open another separate investigation on Kane. ⬇️ https://t.co/yn0cmiDjRU
— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) September 22, 2021
According to Front Office Sports, the new set of allegations against Kane are from his wife, including multiple forms of sexual assault and domestic battery. The new accusations came in a domestic restraining order filed by Anna Kane as part of her divorce case in California.
Kane’s attorney, Travis Krepelka, wrote in a statement to FOS that his client denies the allegations…
“To be clear, Evander denies ever abusing Ms. Kane or their daughter Kensington, whom he cherishes. He recognizes that they have many years ahead of them as co-parents, during which they will have to work together, which makes it that much more frustrating that she has chosen this path.
“As everyone knows, she has falsely accused him of betting on and throwing games, prompting an investigation by the NHL. We are confident he will be cleared and that investigation closed soon.”
Kane is coming off of a season in which he led the Sharks in goals with 22 and points with 49. He has four more years left on the seven-year, $49,000,000 deal he inked with the Sharks back in 2018.
Back in August, The Athletic reported that multiple players on the Sharks said that they didn’t want Kane back with the team.
The team was trying to trade Kane earlier this summer, a source says, confirming a report from the Daily Faceoff. A big part of the reason for the team to pursue a deal was Kane’s strained relationship with many of his teammates, according to several sources.
According to one source, the frustration with Kane stemmed from a general “disrespect for team rules,” such as being late for practices and games.
“And zero consequences came, which caused a ripple effect with other, younger guys,” added the source. According to another source: “It wasn’t easy dealing with him this season.”