Terence Shannon Jr., a former Illinois guard and first-round NBA draft pick, was found not guilty of rape and aggravated sexual battery after a jury in Douglas County, Kan., deliberated Thursday.
Shannon, 23, is accused of sexually assaulting a woman on Sept. 8 while visiting Lawrence Kahn for a football game. He was charged on December 5.
A woman told police she was at a bar early on Sept. 9 when a man approached her, grabbed her seat, reached under her skirt and touched her sexually, according to an investigation report. She later identified Shannon from an online group list.
Shannon said Thursday that he never touched the woman. Defense witnesses, including Kansas center Hunter Dickinson and former Jayhawk Kevin McCuller, testified that they did not see Shannon act inappropriately that night.
Shannon returned to the team after missing six games following his arrest in December and a federal judge granting a request for a temporary restraining order in January. As a fifth-year freshman last season, Shannon was the NCAA’s third-leading scorer with 23 goals in a game and helped Illinois advance to the Elite Eight before the team fell to eventual NCAA Tournament champion UConn.
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Terence Shannon Jr. was charged with rape. He sued to continue playing and now leads Illinois in an NCAA run.
Illinois coach Brad Underwood released a statement following Thursday’s verdict, saying, “I’m thrilled for Terence.
“After six months of rigorous testing, Terence has shown tremendous composure, maturity and focus,” Underwood said. “Now he can put this behind him and move forward with his life. I, along with everyone in our Illinois basketball program, will continue to offer our full support as Terence pursues his NBA dreams.”
Shannon attended the NBA draft combine in Chicago last month and told reporters he was “looking forward to his day on the court.”
The NBA draft is June 26.
(Photo: Winslow Townson/USA Today)