The entire Illinois Fighting Illini world was rocked this afternoon by news of Terrence Shannon Jr. by far the team’s best player, being formally charged with rape, and thus, suspended indefinitely. The University of Illinois, per their own statement, claims that they were aware of this case, since it began in September.
The Illinois Division of Intercollegiate Athletics claims that they did not have actionable information until yesterday. The incident occurred in Lawrence, Kansas when Terrence Shannon Jr. traveled to the University of Kansas to support the school’s football team in their game against the Jayhawks.
The DIA official statement reads in part: “He was not in Lawrence on official University business, nor was he a member of the University’s travel party. Shannon traveled to Lawrence today, where he presented himself to authorities. He posted bail and is returning to Champaign.”
Shannon’s arrest triggers the DIA student-athlete misconduct policy. Under that policy, Shannon has been immediately suspended from all team activities.
So while Shannon won’t be returning to the basketball team he is returning to school, and he denies the validity of the claims against him. His lawyer, Mark P. Sutter of Sutter Law Group LLC just released a statement maintaining the innocence of his client.
“Since September, when these allegations surfaced, Terrence has cooperated with law enforcement throughout the investigation, declaring his innocence from the beginning,” stated Sutter.
“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 for processing and release. Terrence is innocent of these charges, and he intends to take his case to trial.”
Obviously, an overwhelming majority of all legal cases never make it to trial. The percentage is even higher when it pertains to sexual misconduct cases such as this. So it’s very easy of Sutter to claim, on this the first day of the case being made public, that his client and legal team are ready and willing to go to trial.
It goes without saying that this situation is far bigger than just basketball, but it’s safe to say that the Illini season may have just been totally derailed today. Illinois had just moved up to No. 11 and 9, respectively, in the two main polls. Terrence Shannon Jr. was preseason All-Big Ten and a leading All-American candidate.
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He’s written for numerous publications, including the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. He regularly appears on NTD News and WGN News Now, while writing for the International Baseball Writers Association of America. You can follow the website on Twitter.