Illinois hoops star Terrence Shannon Jr. arrested on rape charge

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Illinois hoops star Terrence Shannon Jr. arrested on rape charge

A warrant for his arrest was issued on Wednesday, and he turned himself in Thursday.

nypost.com

By Justin Tasch

University of Illinois men’s basketball star Terrence Shannon Jr. was arrested Thursday on a rape charge and has been suspended from the program, the school announced.

A warrant for his arrest was issued Wednesday by the Douglas County District Attorney in Kansas after an alleged incident on Sept. 8 while Shannon was in Lawrence for the Illinois-Kansas football game.

Shannon, 23, traveled to Lawrence on Thursday to turn himself in and posted bail.

Illinois guard Terrence Shannon Jr. was arrested Thursday on a rape charge.
USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Con

“The University and DIA [Division of Intercollegiate Athletics] have shown time and again that we have zero tolerance for sexual misconduct,” Illinois athletic director Josh Whitman said in a statement. “At the same time, DIA policy affords student-athletes appropriate levels of due process based on the nature and severity of the allegations. We will rely on that policy and our prior experiences to manage this situation appropriately for the University and the involved parties.”

School officials were aware of a police investigation into Shannon since the end of September, but the university said in its release it “had yet to receive actionable information” until Wednesday.

The fifth-year senior, who’s a Chicago native, is considered an All-American candidate for Illinois, which is ranked No. 11 in the country.

Shannon is averaging 21.7 points per game, which is tied for the eighth-best average in the country, along with 4.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists.

The guard has played in all 11 games this season for Illinois (9-2).

He played three years at Texas Tech before transferring to Illinois for the 2022-23 season and was named First-Team All-Big Ten last season.

 

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wonder how much baylor pays for him

 

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Terrence Shannon Jr. suspension: Illinois' leading scorer arrested, charged with rape in Kansas

Shannon is tied to a Sept. 8 incident while attending a football game in Lawrence, Kansas

www.cbssports.com

Shannon is tied to a Sept. 8 incident while attending a football game in Lawrence, Kansas​

https://www.cbssports.com/writers/david-cobb/

By David Cobb

Illinois star wing Terrence Shannon Jr. has been suspended indefinitely after being charged with rape, the program announced Thursday. The Douglas County (Kansas) District Attorney issued an arrest warrant for Shannon on Wednesday in connection with a Sept. 8 incident, which allegedly occurred while Shannon was attending an Illini football game against the Kansas Jayhawks.

The university specified that Shannon was "not in Lawrence on official University business, nor was he a member of the University's travel party." Shannon returned to Kansas on Thursday to turn himself in and posted bail before traveling back to Illinois. The university acknowledged that it was aware of an investigation into Shannon since late September but had not received "actionable information" until Wednesday.

"Since September, when these allegations surfaced, Terrence has cooperated with law enforcement throughout the investigation, declaring his innocence from the beginning," said Shannon's attorney Mark P. Sutter in a statement." Now, several months later, my office learned that formal charges were filed against him yesterday in Lawrence, KS. In less than 24 hours, my client responded, and he voluntarily surrendered to local authorities. Terrence is innocent of these charges, and he intends to take his case to trial."

"The University and DIA (Division of Intercollegiate Athletics) have shown time and again that we have zero tolerance for sexual misconduct," Illinois athletic director Josh Whitman said in a statement. "At the same time, DIA policy affords student-athletes appropriate levels of due process based on the nature and severity of the allegations. We will rely on that policy and our prior experiences to manage this situation appropriately for the University and the involved parties."

The suspension is a significant blow for the Illini, who climbed to No. 11 in this week's AP Top 25 following a 97-73 win over rival Missouri last Friday. Shannon leads Illinois in scoring at 21.7 points per game, which is second only to Purdue star Zach Edey in the Big Ten.

Shannon is shooting a career-best 40.8% from beyond the arc and rates as the team's second-best defender, according to evanmiya.com. The 6-foot-6 Shannon is in his fifth season of college basketball and second at Illinois after playing three seasons at Texas Tech. He is ranked No. 27 in the 2024 CBS Sports NBA Draft Prospect Rankings.

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Shocking click bait.

 

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AD: Illinois surprised by Shannon Jr. rape charge

Officials at Illinois said they were surprised to learn that star basketball player Terrance Shannon Jr. had been charged with rape in Kansas.

www.espn.com

Illinois AD says school saw charging documents for Terrance Shannon Jr. on social media​

• Associated Press

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Officials at Illinois said they were surprised to learn that star basketball player Terrance Shannon Jr. had been charged with rape in Kansas.

Illinois athletic director Josh Whitman said Friday that he didn't see the charging documents and warrant for Shannon's arrest, issued Dec. 5, until Wednesday on social media, hours after being informed about the charge.

Illinois suspended Shannon on Thursday after he was charged with rape for an alleged incident that happened when the football team played at Kansas in September.

Whitman spoke at a news conference Friday before Illinois' game against Fairleigh Dickinson.

Whitman said communication sent in late September by the Lawrence Police Department to the university police indicated that Shannon was involved in an incident in a bar in Lawrence, Kansas, on Sept. 9 that alleged the inappropriate touching of a woman.

University officials met with Shannon after learning about the alleged bar incident. Whitman said Shannon was "forthcoming" about his activities in Lawrence.

Whitman said the alleged bar incident was "short on specifics," so no action was taken by the athletic department against Shannon.

"We take sexual misconduct incredibly seriously. It's antithetical to our mission as a university and athletic department," Whitman said. "But we also know there's a presumption of innocence in legal proceedings."

Shannon, a 6-foot-6 guard from Chicago, was in Lawrence to watch the Illinois football team play Kansas on Sept. 8.

In a statement released Thursday, the university made it clear that Shannon was not in Lawrence on official university business, nor was he a member of the university's travel party.

Shannon returned to Lawrence on Thursday afternoon with Illinois athletics staff members to meet with authorities and post bail, Whitman said. Shannon returned to Champaign on Thursday night.

Mark Sutter, Shannon's Chicago-area attorney, issued a statement Thursday saying Shannon was not guilty.

"Since September, when these allegations surfaced, Terrence has cooperated with law enforcement ... declaring 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 surrendered to local authorities.

"Terrance is innocent of these charges, and he intends to take his case to trial."

Led by Shannon, Illinois has been climbing steadily through the ranks in The Associated Press Top 25 poll. The Illini were ranked a season-best 11th this week.

Shannon is averaging 21.7 points per game, eighth in the nation and second only to reigning AP National Player of the Year Zach Edey of Purdue in the Big Ten Conference. He's also shooting a career-best 40.8% on 3-pointers.

This is Shannon's fifth and final season of college basketball. He played at Texas Tech for three years before coming to Illinois.