Illinois Basketball Star Suspended Following Rape Charge
University of Illinois basketball star Terrence Shannon Jr. has been suspended indefinitely after being charged with rape, the school announced Thursday afternoon. In a statement, the university said that the alleged incident took place while Shannon was visiting Lawrence, Kansas, to catch a college football game between Illinois and Kansas on Sept. 8. “He was not in Lawrence on official University business, nor was he a member of the University’s travel party,” the press release read. The university added that the Douglas (Kansas) County District Attorney has issued a warrant for arrest against Shannon, who traveled to Lawrence on Thursday to hand himself over to authorities. He posted bail and is returning to Champaign, Illinois. The News-Gazette reported that the Division of Intercollegiate Athletics and university knew about the police investigation since late September but did not have sufficient information to administer the suspension until Wednesday. “The University and DIA have shown time and again that we have zero tolerance for sexual misconduct,” Illinois athletic director Josh Whitman said in the press release. “At the same time, DIA policy affords student-athletes appropriate levels of due process based on the nature and severity of the allegations.”
