A few thoughts after a district attorney in San Francisco announced no charges would be filed "at this time" against 49ers receiver Michael Crabtree, who had been questioned in a sexual-assault investigation:

• No surprise. There was never any indication Crabtree was going to face charges. Last week, reports said the 49ers were highly confident none would be filed. This announcement affirms what the 49ers thought would be the case.

• Reputation affected. The absence of charges beats the alternative for Crabtree, but incidents such as this one still damage a person's reputation. That is unfortunate for Crabtree if he's innocent of wrongdoing.

• Case not closed. The district attorney used the phrase "at this time" in relation to the decision against filing charges, presumably because additional evidence could surface. The district attorney did not say the investigation had cleared Crabtree.

• 49ers relieved. Trent Baalke, the 49ers' general manager, released a statement saying the team was "pleased" to learn of the announcement. "Michael and the team can now put this behind us and move forward," Baalke said.

• Media fallout. Crabtree will be available to hundreds of reports on a daily basis during Super Bowl week. He's surely going to face questions about the incident and its effect on him. The sensitivity he shows in handling those questions has the potential to affect how people view him.