Patrick Kane's attorney said on Tuesday that the Chicago Blackhawks star did not assault or rob the cab driver who claimed he was attacked early Sunday in Buffalo, N.Y.
Paul Cambria, speaking on "The Waddle and Silvy Show" on ESPN 1000, said Kane, 20, and his cousin James, 21, were trapped inside the car when cab driver Jan Radecki, 62, wouldn't unlock the doors.
"[Patrick Kane is] devastated that anybody would accuse him of a crime," Cambria said. "He's not that sort of person.
"He wanted nothing to do with the cab driver in any way, shape or form. He simply wanted to get out of the cab. It's been revealed today that the cab driver admitted he locked these two guys in the car and wouldn't permit the one guy to stand up and simply reach for his wallet. There's more and more being developed about this."
The Kanes are facing felony robbery and misdemeanor counts of theft and criminal mischief. Patrick Kane has pleaded not guilty and is scheduled for a court hearing Monday in Buffalo.
"[Radecki] said he wasn't going to let the one fellow out to get his wallet," Cambria said during the radio interview. "He said that in an interview that I heard.
"Apparently he said that's his MO. Anytime he takes young people, college kids or whatever, any place at night he locks them in the cab until he pays. His lawyer said this morning in an interview I heard that in the past many of his passengers have become upset because they're angry that they're being trapped in a car and not being trusted to stand up and get their money out."
Cambria was asked if Kane did anything wrong or anything he regretted.
"He regrets that he was there, obviously, who wouldn't?" Cambria said on "The Waddle and Silvy Show." "On the other hand, did he do anything wrong? Did he violate the law? Everything we have demonstrates no, and he emphatically said, 'No.' I have absolutely no reason to disbelieve him and every reason to believe him."
Cambria was asked on the show if Kane touched Radecki. "He did not assault the cab driver. He did not rob the cab driver. He did not cheat him out of his fee. None of those things. He tried to get out of a locked cab," Cambria said.
As far as Kane's cousin was concerned, Cambria would not elaborate.
"I'm not blaming or defending his cousin," Cambria said. "He has an attorney, and his attorney can speak for him. I think it's clear there is no question the cousin is the one who was involved in the financial transaction with the cab driver. The police claim they found a partially torn bill or something in the cousin's pocket. He his own attorney, and his attorney can speak for him."
Radecki's lawyer, Andrew LoTempio, said on WGN radio on Monday that he didn't believe the case would end up as a felony, and that the incident had been blown out of proportion.
"There was a dispute over the fee and it just kind of escalated from there," LoTempio told WGN. "It was not really a robbery. That is probably a large distortion of what happened."
"I think we should be able to work things out," LoTempio added.
Cambria also addressed a report in Tuesday's edition of the Buffalo News that Radecki had two drunken driving convictions and had no valid driver's license at the time of the incident.
The Buffalo News said Radecki hung up the telephone when a reporter tried to talk to him Monday. LoTempio told the News he had represented Radecki in one unspecified DWI case, but would not comment on the license issue.
"That's a matter that's going to be used to make a credibility determination concerning this guy," Cambria said on "The Waddle and Silvy Show." "Apparently, he's had other skirmishes with people in the past, and other difficulties, and all that will play out in the courtroom."
As for Kane's demeanor, Cambria said: "Pat is like, 'Why me? I didn't hit the guy. I didn't assault the guy. I wasn't involved in pay or not paying for the fare. I can't believe I'm in this.'"