DOUGLAS COUNTY, Kan. — Illinois Fighting Illini men’s basketball player Terrence Shannon Jr. was booked by the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office in Kansas on Thursday and charged with “rape; sexual intercourse without consent and use of force.”
He was released on $50,000 bond at 11:44 a.m. Thursday.
Mark P. Sutter, a lawyer with Sutter Law Group, released a statement on behalf of Shannon:
“Since September, when these allegations surfaced, Terrence has cooperated with law enforcement throughout the investigation, declaring his innocence from the beginning. 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.”
Illinois Athletics announced Thursday that Shannon was immediately suspended from all men’s basketball team activities.
According to Illinois’ statement, the charges against Shannon stem from an alleged incident on Friday, Sept. 8 when Shannon attended the Illinois at Kansas football game. Illinois’ statement said that Shannon “was not in Lawrence on official University business, nor was he a member of the University’s travel party.”
Illinois Athletics said it has “been aware of a Lawrence police investigation into Shannon since late September but, until Wednesday, had yet to receive actionable information.”
Josh Whitman, Illinois’ athletics director, said in a statement, “The University and DIA (Division of Intercollegiate Athletics) have shown time and again that we have zero tolerance for sexual misconduct. At the same time, DIA 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.”
Sutter Law Group is based in Oakbrook Terrace, Illinois.
Illinois men’s basketball is scheduled to return to action with a home game Friday night vs. Fairleigh Dickinson.