BOSTON – Authorities have dropped rape charges against a former Boston University hockey player.
Prosecutors said during a court hearing Friday they are no longer pursuing the case against Max Nicastro.
The Suffolk district attorney's office says in a statement that prosecutors determined they could not prove their case beyond a reasonable doubt and "had an ethical obligation not to pursue it further."
The 22-year-old Nicastro says he is relieved and wants to move on. His lawyer says prosecutors' decision not to pursue the case "speaks volumes."
Nicastro, of Thousand Oaks, Calif., was arrested Feb. 19 after he was accused of assaulting a female student on campus. He had pleaded not guilty, was suspended from the team and withdrew from school.
The defenseman was a 2008 Detroit Red Wings draft pick.
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