The NHL released a statement on Wednesday announcing that their “independent review of the Patrick Kane matter” has concluded that the sexual assault allegations made against the Chicago Blackhawks forward were “unfounded.”

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The statement also noted that as part of the review Kane had an in-person meeting with Commissioner Gary Bettman at the NHL’s office in New York this past Monday.

The announcement that the league’s investigation is now closed comes on the same day that Kane appears on one of Sports Illustrated’s two covers this week.

The cover story, entitled “Patrick Kane: The NHL’s Best Player Has Arrived— And Still Has Far To Go,” details Kane “from his emergence as a child prodigy to his dominance as the NHL’s leading scorer at age 27. Price also discusses the sexual assault allegations that consumed Kane’s off-season and how he has played through the scrutiny to turn in one of the best seasons of his career.”

Kane tells writer S.L. Price about answering questions about the investigation, “There’s been plenty of times that I’ve wanted to defend myself in the whole situation, but it’s kind of in the past now. I’m just looking forward to moving on from everything.”

On his on-ice success this season: “Guys’ll say, ‘He’s been scared straight’, but I almost feel like I owe it to other people now… Especially the Hawks’ organization, my family, my friends and the people who really supported me and believed in me.”

The three-month investigation began after the complainant alleged she was sexually assaulted at Kane's Hamburg, N.Y. home in the early hours of Aug. 2.

On Nov. 5, Erie County District Attorney Frank Sedita announced Kane would not face charges days after the complainant told prosecutors she no longer wanted to participate in the investigation. Sedita called the case “rife with reasonable doubt.”

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