Friends Of Woman Accusing Patrick Kane Of Rape Fire Back At Victim-Blaming
By Emma G. Gallegos in News on Aug 13, 2015 4:20PM
Patrick Kane celebrates after scoring a goal in June 15, 2015. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
Friends and coworkers of the woman who has accused Patrick Kane of raping her at his home earlier this month have been speaking out against what they see as victim-blaming and unfair assaults on her character.
The Buffalo News spoke with four friends and coworkers of the woman who says the Blackhawks star overpowered and raped her at his home outside Buffalo, New York after meeting him at SkyBar on a recent Saturday night. They said that, in particular, they were disturbed by comments made by Mark Croce, the owner of SkyBar, who insinuated that the woman in question may have been flirting with Kane before the alleged rape occurred.
"She's a really nice girl, and it made me sick to see Mr. Croce make her look like she was some kind of gold digger, that she was out looking to pick up Pat Kane," one of her co-workers told The Buffalo News. "She's really getting bashed, and it upset me. … I don’t think Mr. Croce should be making remarks like that. I don’t think it’s fair. He’s taking Pat Kane’s side in this because Pat Kane was going to have a big Stanley Cup party at his bar."
It's an uncomfortable truth that when a woman alleges she has been raped, she is put on trial in the court of public opinion as much as the suspect. But her friends and coworkers have overwhelmingly vouched for her, calling her smart, energetic, trustworthy, hard-working and well-liked at her workplace (which the newspaper is not naming to protect her identity). The Buffalo News interviewed her manager who asked whether she seemed like the kind of person who would make up a lie about rape for money. His response? "Absolutely not."
The Buffalo News itself—the only outlet that seems to be making any headway reporting on the case—was called out earlier for printing Croce's comments. But their latest report has details that dispute Croce's insinuation that the woman had any sort of interest in Kane at all.
The Buffalo News spoke with friends and two law enforcement sources who said that the woman went to Kane's Hamburg home because her friend was interested in going. A friend told the newspaper, "They were at SkyBar, and Kane invited them to his home. Her friend really wanted to go to Kane’s house, and she didn’t want her friend to go there alone. It wasn’t her idea to go there."
No charges have been filed against Kane. And so far no one is speaking on the record about the allegations: neither Kane's attorney, the DA, law enforcement or the woman's attorney.
Related coverage:
Accuser: Blackhawks' Patrick Kane Overpowered And Raped Her, Leaving Bite And Scratch Marks
How To Be A Blackhawks Fan When Your Star Player Is Accused Of Rape