The San Francisco 49ers are set to play the Atlanta Falcons in the NFC Championship game in Georgia on Sunday, but the status of one of their top playmakers is in question.
Wide receiver Michael Crabtree met voluntarily with police following police in their investigation into an alleged sexual assault in a hotel after the team's playoff victory over the Green Bay Packers last weekend, his attorney said Saturday.
"Michael fully cooperated with the inspectors and will continue to do so throughout this investigation," the attorney, Joshua Bentley, said in a brief statement emailed to The Associated Press. According to ESPN.com, Bentley provided no additional details and had no further comment.
The situation for Crabtree arose when the police began investigation a sexual assault allegation involving Crabtree in a San Francisco hotel early Sunday. According to the report, Crabtree was not detained by the police and was not arrested and has said that eh will further cooperate with the authorities.
The police said the special victims unit is handling the case and charges will be filed only when the district attorney reviews the findings and decides if a case should move forward. No other information was released by the authorities.
49ers general manager Trent Baalke said the team is aware of the allegations.
"The 49ers take such matters very seriously," he said in a statement. "We will have no further comment at this time as the legal process is ongoing."
The team said that Crabtree did make the trip with the team to Atlanta and is preparing to play against the Falcons. The team referred all other questions from reporters and other media outlets about the matter to Crabtree's attorney.
Crabtree has played much better since Kaepernick took over the starting job and the two have shown they have some good chemistry, with the wide receiver scoring six touchdowns over the past four games, including the playoffs.
Crabtree had the best professional season of his career, finishing with 85 receptions for 1,105 yards and nine touchdowns, all career highs. He also became the first wideout to gain over 1,000 yards for the team since Terrell Owens did in 2003.
The fourth-year wide receiver was highly-regarded as a rookie after coming out of Texas Tech, but did not break out until last season when he made 72 receptions for 874 yards and four touchdowns as the 49ers made it to the NFC Championship game.
His best game this season came against the Cardinals when he had eight receptions for 172 yards and two touchdowns. He had four 100-yardreceiveing games this season and had three straight games with double digit receptions, including in four of the final five games of the year,
The 49ers have been one of the best offensive and defensive teams in the NFL this season, ranking fourth in passing and rushing defense. Kaepernick has helped the team average the fourth most rushing yards in the league, even though they are ranked 23rd in passing.
Over the past four games, the 49ers have scored at least 27 points three times and racked up over 400 yards of offense against the Patriots last month in a 41-34 victory. Crabtree has been essential for the 49ers in wins, catching all eight of his touchdowns in victories along with 60 catches, while making only 20 receptions with zero touchdowns in losses.
If Crabtree cannot play, the 49ers will rely on tight end Vernon Davis as well as Kyle Williams, Randy Moss and Ted Ginn to pick up the slack. Frank Gore could also get more carries out of the backfield.
