Lawrence was under investigation by UI police three months before Shannon Jr.’s suspension.
According to email exchanges obtained by ESPN, a University of Illinois police detective obtained information regarding the sexual assault investigation involving Terrence Shannon Jr., an Illini men’s basketball player, from Lawrence, Kansas, law enforcement as early as September 27.
This was three months before school officials claimed they had “actionable information” to suspend Shannon.
In September, Lawrence detective Josh Leitner and University of Illinois detective supervisor Grant Briggs corresponded via email regarding the acquisition of a search warrant and the arrangement of an interview via Shannon, according to records obtained by ESPN under open records laws.
Briggs stated in an investigation dated September 27 that he had a conversation with Leitner on the same day, “concerning an incident of sexual battery and rape that transpired in Lawrence, Kansas.”
“According to the report, Leitner supplied police report narratives concerning the investigation,” Briggs stated. “He additionally furnished a hyperlink to the victim’s interview.”
Detective Leitner furnished me with the interview video, the report narratives, and the summary of facts, which I duly examined.
I concluded that the facts corroborated his petition for a complaint or affidavit in support of a search warrant.
Shannon was apprehended on December 28 and formally accused of rape, nonconsensual sexual contact, and use of force. On November 6, Illinois began its regular season, and Shannon appeared in the first eleven games for the squad.
A woman told police, according to a police affidavit, that Shannon sexually penetrated her without her consent on September 9 at a bar in Lawrence. Shannon’s attorney has stated that he is harmless and will proceed with the case to trial.
Shannon was reinstated to the team on Friday after a federal judge granted his request for an indefinite restraining order against the school in response to his appeal of his suspension.
Shannon, according to the university, was “not in Lawrence upon official University business, nor was he an element of the University’s travel party.”
Shannon posted bail and returned to Kansas on Thursday to surrender, before continuing his journey to Illinois.
Shannon’s investigation had been in the university’s knowledge since late September; however, “actionable information” did not become available to the institution until Wednesday.
“Time and again, the University along with DIA (Division of Intercollegiate Athletics) have shown that sexual misconduct has no place in Illinois,” said athletic director Josh Whitman in a statement.
DIA policy provides student-athletes with due process that is commensurate with the gravity and nature of the allegations. To effectively address this situation for the benefit of the University and all parties involved, we will depend on our previous experiences and this policy.
Following the rape charge against star guard Terrence Shannon Jr., the athletic director at the University of Illinois Josh Whitman declared that the institution has an absolute zero-tolerance policy towards sexual misconduct.
Whitman stated that the athletic department of the university lacked “actionable information” necessary to suspend Shannon until Wednesday when the arrest order was issued.
Whitman stated that the information included allegations that Shannon touched a woman inappropriately in a Lawrence bar.
Shannon was placed on indefinite suspension; however, Whitman stated that the university will adhere to “due process” and provide further information regarding the requirements for Shannon to rejoin the team.
Whitman delivered his first public address since September, when Shannon was charged in connection with an incident that occurred in Lawrence, Kansas.
Whitman stated, “One of two outcomes would ultimately be required.” “Either the conduct panel would be required to vote to return him to standing during this interim period, or there could be some resolution for the case in the court system that would open the way for his return.”
Whitman mentioned a conduct panel that functions autonomously from the Division in Intercollegiate Athletics of the university.
Whitman stated that Shannon’s status as the subject of the investigation was uncertain at the time.
The DIA issued a statement on Thursday indicating that it became aware of an investigation into Shannon in late September when Lawrence police informed the University of Illinois police force that Shannon was the subject of an interview.
When asked about his stay in Kansas, Whitman stated that Shannon “was very candid with us and detailed his visit, but nothing he disclosed prompted us to impose discipline or take action.”