San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Michael Crabtree is “highly, highly doubted” to be charged in an alleged sexual assault last weekend, according to ESPN Sunday morning.
ESPN received the information from a source that is close to the 49ers organization.
The San Francisco Police Department announced Friday night that Crabtree was being investigated. The incident is alleged to have occurred early Sunday morning in a San Francisco hotel, after the 49ers playoff win against the Green Bay Packers.
Crabtree, who was not charged or arrested, cooperated with the Special Victims Unit of SFPD. He conducted an interview for two hours with his attorney present.
The source also said to ESPN that a second female witness corroborated Crabtree’s version of the incident to police, and that the incident will not develop further. The 49ers also claim he will not be charged.
The 49ers and general manager Trent Baalke were made aware of the allegations on Friday. They said they believed the timing was odd because the team was preparing to travel to Atlanta to play the Falcons in Sunday’s NFC Championship game.
“The 49ers take such matters very seriously,” Baalke said in statement released on Friday. “We will have no further comment at this time as the legal process is ongoing. Additional requests for comment should be directed to Michael’s attorney.”
But team members say they are adamant that Crabtree’s situation has not become a distraction. They emphasize that players must be cautious because they may be easy targets.
Crabtree, who was selected by the 49ers in the 2009 NFL draft as the 10th overall pick, has a career-best 1,105 yards receiving this season. He became the first San Francisco wide receiver to have more than 1,000 yards in a season since Terrell Owens in 2003.
The 49ers will need Crabtree to put this situation behind him for Sunday’s game against the Falcons, if they want to extend their season and head to the Super Bowl to play the winner of the New England Patriots and Baltimore Ravens game.
