CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The University of Illinois' athletics director spoke to the media Friday night about a star player on the school's basketball team who was charged with rape in Kansas.
Chicago native Terrence Shannon Jr. was suspended from the team Thursday by the Division of Intercollegiate Athletics in accordance with the university's policy on allegations of sexual misconduct.
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Josh Whitman, the university's athletics director, spoke to the media at a 6 p.m. news conference in Champaign before the school's home basketball game against Fairleigh Dickinson.
Whitman said the school was first notified on Sept. 9 that Shannon was involved in an incident at a bar in Lawrence, Kansas. However, it wasn't until Wednesday of this week that the school received documents containing information about the player accused of rape.
“In moments like these, we must understand that basketball must take a back seat, and we have a duty here as a university to take allegations like this seriously, which we do,” Whitman said.
Officials in Illinois said they were surprised to learn that star basketball player Shannon Jr. had been charged with rape in Kansas.
Whitman said he didn't see the charging documents and arrest warrant against Shannon, which were issued Dec. 5, on social media until Wednesday, hours after he was informed of the charges.
Illinois suspended Shannon on Thursday after he was charged with rape stemming from an alleged incident that occurred when the football team was playing at Kansas in September.
Whitman said a communication sent from the Lawrence Police Department to University Police in late September indicated that Shannon was involved in an incident at a bar in Lawrence, Kansas, on Sept. 9 that involved inappropriate touching of a woman .
University officials met with Shannon after learning of the alleged incident at the bar. Whitman said Shannon was “open” about his activities in Lawrence.
Whitman said there was “no specific information” in the alleged incident at the bar, so the athletic department took no action against Shannon.
“We take sexual misconduct incredibly seriously. It is antithetical to our mission as a university and an athletic department,” Whitman said. “But we also know that the presumption of innocence applies in court proceedings.”
Shannon, a 6-foot-2 guard from Chicago, was in Lawrence on Sept. 8 to watch the Illinois football team play Kansas.
In a statement released Thursday, the university clarified that Shannon was not in Lawrence on official university business nor was she a member of the university's tour group.
Shannon returned to Lawrence with Illinois athletics staff Thursday afternoon to meet with authorities and post bail, Whitman said. Shannon returned to Champaign on Thursday evening.
Mark Sutter, Shannon's Chicago-area attorney, issued a statement Thursday saying Shannon is not guilty.
“Since September, when these allegations surfaced, Terrence has cooperated with law enforcement … and has maintained his innocence from the beginning,” Sutter said.
“Now, several months later, my office learned that formal charges were filed against him yesterday in Lawrence. In less than 24 hours, my client responded and he voluntarily turned himself in to local authorities.
“Terrance is innocent of these allegations and intends to take his case to trial.”
Shannon attended Lincoln Park High School and, according to ESPN stats, leads the Illini team in points and assists this season.
Under Shannon's leadership, Illinois steadily climbed in The Associated Press Top 25 poll. The Illini finished this week with a season-best 11th place.
Shannon is averaging 21.7 points per game, eighth in the nation and second behind reigning AP National Player of the Year Zach Edey of Purdue in the Big Ten Conference. He also achieved the best rate of his career on 3-point shots: 40.8%.
This is Shannon's fifth and final season of college basketball. He played three years at Texas Tech before coming to Illinois.
Statement from Shannon's lawyer:
Since September, when these allegations came to light, Terrence has cooperated with law enforcement throughout the investigation and has declared his innocence from the beginning. Now, several months later, my office learned that formal charges were filed against him yesterday in Lawrence, Kansas. In less than 24 hours, my client responded and voluntarily turned himself in to local authorities for processing and release. Terrence is innocent of these charges and intends to take his case to trial.
ABC7 Chicago contributed to this report.