EA Pulls Patrick Kane From NHL 16 Cover Following Allegations Of Sexual Assault

Patrick Kane will no longer be gracing the NHL 16 cover, as seen above. His teammate, Jonathan Toews, will instead be the sole player to grace the cover.

EA Sports had a special cover planned for NHL 16. It featured two of the most popular players in the NHL from the 2015 Stanley Cup Champion Chicago Blackhawks, Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane. The planned cover showcased both of them as they lifted the Stanley Cup together after their victory.

Recently, Patrick Kane has come under investigation in his hometown of Hamburg, N.Y.  Details continue to trickle out regarding the incident; right now, the police are collecting and testing forensic evidence. Reports have emerged stating that it is an alleged rape investigation. 

Today, EA Sports issued a statement via Twitter, confirming that in light of this investigation, Patrick Kane will no longer appear on its cover or do any promotional activities.  This isn't the first time than an NHL cover has changed - after NHL 2004 cover athlete Dany Heatley lost control of the Ferrari he was driving at high speeds, leading to the death of teammate Dan Snyder, he was replaced by Joe Sakic.

Below is a shot of the new solo Toews cover that EA has since tweeted out:

[Source: EA Sports on Twitter]

Our Take
This is the right move by EA. Distancing themselves from Kane during this investigation is necessary, especially if this news turns out to be true.