Illinois basketball is facing a difficult situation as one of its players, Terrence Shannon Jr., is suspended from the program while facing rape allegations. The University of Illinois athletic director Josh Whitman is revealing more information about the school's process of addressing the allegations. Whitman says he did not know the complaint had been filed against Shannon Jr. until very recently.
“We were not made aware of that filing but in fact one of our staff members retrieved it from social media,” Whitman said in a news conference, per WCIA-TV. “We had a chance to review it for the first time as well.”
Shannon Jr. is suspended indefinitely as the legal process plays itself out. He had been having an excellent season for Illinois, averaging more than 21 points a game. Shannon Jr. also played at Texas Tech before joining the Illinois basketball program in 2022.
A warrant for Shannon's arrest was issued by a Kansas district attorney's office over an alleged sexual assault that happened in September, per ESPN. Shannon turned himself into authorities in Kansas following the issuing of the warrant. Whitman said that Shannon also received a written notice he was suspended from the Illinois basketball program.
Illinois said in a statement the alleged incident occurred while Shannon was in Lawrence, Kansas to attend an Illinois-Kansas football game. Shannon denies the allegations against him, through his lawyer. Shannon faces a minimum of 147 months and a maximum of 653 months in prison and/or a fine of up to $300,000 if convicted, per ESPN.
Illinois basketball is 10-2 on the season. The team next plays Northwestern on Jan. 2.
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