Illinois men’s basketball star Terrence Shannon Jr. was charged with rape in Douglas County, Kansas, in connection with an alleged assault that occurred while he was traveling to watch the Illini football team play at Kansas on the second weekend of September.
Shannon, 23, was suspended from all activities, effective immediately, the school announced Thursday, one day after a warrant was issued for his arrest. According to the school, Shannon turned himself in and was arrested Thursday in Lawrence, Kansas, before posting $50,000 bail and returning to campus, where the Chicago native and Lincoln Park alum is a fifth-year senior.
In a statement, the school wrote that it ‘‘take[s] allegations of sexual misconduct seriously while respecting due process and the presumption of innocence afforded through the legal system.’’
‘‘We have zero tolerance for sexual misconduct,’’ athletic director Josh Whitman said in the statement. ‘‘At the same time, [athletic-department] 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.’’
Shannon’s attorney, Mark P. Sutter, issued a statement on behalf of his client, whom he described as innocent.
‘‘Since September, when these allegations surfaced, Terrence has cooperated with law enforcement throughout the investigation, 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 for processing and release. Terrence is innocent of these charges, and he intends to take his case to trial.’’
Illinois athletic-department officials and other campus authorities have been aware of a police investigation into Shannon since late September, according to the school, but didn’t receive ‘‘actionable information’’ until Wednesday.
Meanwhile, the school has heavily promoted Shannon, the best player on the team and widely considered a potential first-team All-American before his arrest. Shannon is averaging 21.7 points — eighth nationally and second in the Big Ten — for the 11th-ranked Illini, who host Fairleigh Dickinson on Friday before resuming Big Ten play Tuesday against Northwestern.
Two weeks ago, a video titled ‘‘Day in the Life with Terrence Shannon Jr.’’ was posted on the Fighting Illini Athletics YouTube account. It showed him arriving at the gym at 4:45 a.m. for a workout, talking about Christmas music and doing a promotional shoot with coach Brad Underwood.
‘‘What he does in terms of leadership, showing the way, setting the example for our young guys, for our new guys, is invaluable to our team,’’ Underwood said.
A week later, as Shannon was scoring 30 points in a victory against Missouri in St. Louis, a tweet from Illinois’ men’s basketball account read, ‘‘It’s @Sn1perT’s world, we’re just living in it,’’ and called Shannon ‘‘the man.’’
More than once, Underwood has referred to Shannon as the best two-way player in the country.
In a recent interview with the Sun-Times, Shannon described feeling a bit homesick at Christmas, his ‘‘favorite time of the year.’’ He also discussed having significant NIL income and the impact that was having on his life.
‘‘It’s pretty nice, man, just being able to do stuff for my family, do stuff to help other people out,’’ he said. ‘‘It’s a pretty good feeling, you know?’’
Underwood’s media availability Thursday was canceled. Whitman was scheduled to meet with reporters before the game Friday, after which the school would ‘‘have no further comment on the matter unless there is a change in circumstances that warrants additional communication.’’
