Brooklyn Nets forward Andray Blatche was questioned by Philadelphia police, but not charged, as part of a sexual assault investigation at an upscale hotel on Tuesday.
Philadelphia Police commissioner Charles Ramsey said Blatche was among the witnesses interviewed by police Tuesday. Two men who had been held for questioning were released Wednesday, according to ABC Action News in Philadelphia.
Ramsey told reporters that preliminary findings of the investigation show Blatche was not involved; however, Blatche has hired high-profile attorney A. Charles Peruto Jr., according to ABC. The attorney told the station Wednesday that he hadn't yet spoken to his client.
Officer Jillian Russell says the possible assault reportedly happened around 3:30 a.m. Tuesday in a room at the Four Seasons Hotel.
Ramsey told The New York Times that Blatche was in a group of three men and three women at the Four Seasons. Blatche and his party met the alleged 21-year-old victim at a gentlemen's club, according to ABC. The woman told police that she had consensual sex with one man and non-consensual sex with another man. She was taken by ambulance from the hotel around 4 a.m., according to multiple reports.
Ramsey did not know whether charges would be filed, in part because the woman was highly intoxicated.
"She was so intoxicated," Ramsey said, according to the newspaper. "She is not going to be a very good witness."
Sources told ABC, however, that investigators found evidence of a date rape drug in the suite.
He said a rape kit was administered in hopes of finding DNA evidence and that the investigation is ongoing.
"She is being formally interviewed right now," Ramsey said Tuesday, according to The New York Times.
According to an NBC report, Blatche, a 41-year-old man and a 25-year-old man were taken into custody for questioning. Blatche was questioned by the Special Victims Unit and released, according to Ramsey.
Sources told ABC that investigators found Blatche’s cell phone in the suite and it contained compromising photos of the alleged victim. Yet Ramsey said Blatche was not charged.
"He was released and from early information that we have, he may not be a person that was even involved in terms of actually assaulting anyone," Ramsey said, according to ABC.
Ramsey had said Tuesday that Blatche probably did show poor judgment in being present at the scene of the incident.
Blatche tweeted Tuesday: "Im ok and I didn't do anything jus was n the area when it happened." The tweet was later removed from his feed.
Photographers snapped photos of Blatche as he left the Four Seasons and as he arrived at the arena. After a morning practice he was asked what he thought of the woman being taken to the hospital.
"I couldn't even tell you why, maybe she was sick. I don't know," Blatche said, according to ABC.
Nets interim coach P.J. Carlesimo repeatedly declined to comment on the alleged incident, saying only that Blatche would play in Brooklyn's game against the Philadelphia 76ers.
Blatche did play 22 minutes off the bench in the Nets' 109-89 victory, scoring 20 points and grabbing seven rebounds. He didn't make himself available to the media at the Wells Fargo Center.
"We've had to deal with some adversity the last couple of weeks," Nets guard Deron Williams said after the game. "But we're a resilient group. We stick together as a team, and we did that tonight."
"NBA players are resilient," Carlesimo added. "That is one of their traits. They come to play."
Brooklyn general manager Billy King issued a statement Tuesday saying that the team is aware that a member of the squad is involved in an ongoing police investigation.
"We will have no further comment until the investigation has concluded," the statement said. "All of our players are available for tonight's game."
ESPNNewYork.com's Mike Mazzeo and The Associated Press contributed to this report.