Illinois’ Terrence Shannon Jr. has been suspended indefinitely from the men’s basketball team after he was charged with rape for a September incident in Kansas.
The 23-year-old is charged with one count of rape for an incident that happened on September 9 in Lawrence, Kansas.
He was attending an llinois football game against the Jayhawks, though wasn’t there in any official capacity, according to the school.
Shannon traveled to Lawrence on Thursday an turned himself into authorities, according to the school.
“DIA policy affords student athletes appropriate levels of due process based on the nature and severity of the allegations,” Illinois athletic director Josh Whitman said in a release. “We will rely on that policy and our prior experiences to manage this situation appropriately for the University and the involved parties.”
Whitman is expected to address media before Illinois’ game vs. Fairleigh Dickinson on Friday night.
Shannon’s attorney, Mark P. Sutter, released a statement saying that his clients intends to contest the charges in court.
“Since September, when these allegations surfaced, Terrence has cooperated with law enforcement throughout the investigation, declaring his innocence from the beginning. Now, several months later, my office learned that formal charges were filed against him yesterday,” he said. “In less than 24 hours, my client responded, and he voluntarily surrendered to local authorities for processing and release. Terrence is innocent of these charges, and he intends to take his case to trial.”
The guard is alleged to have “knowingly engaged in sexual intercourse with a person..who did not consent to the sexual intercourse,” according to prosecutors.
If Shannon is found guilty of rape, he could face up to 54 years in prison and / or a fine of up to $300,000 and 36 months of post-release supervision.
The All-American candidate has averaged 21.7 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists through 11 games this season and is ranked third in KenPom’s Player of the Year rankings.
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