Illinois guard Terrence Shannon Jr. filed a temporary restraining order Monday, demanding immediate reinstatement from a suspension levied by the university because of a rape charge.
Attorney Mark Sutter filed the temporary restraining order centered on Shannon not being afforded due process.
The TRO filing comes in response to an indefinite suspension from team activities instituted by Illinois after a warrant for Shannon’s arrest and charges from an alleged incident in Lawrence, Kan., on Sept. 8.
Illinois told Shannon he wouldn’t be eligible for reinstatement until his legal matter is resolved, according to the suit, which claims Shannon would suffer “irreparable harm without injunctive relief” and his career would “certainly be ruined.”
“We will review the filing and defend our student-athlete misconduct process, which was developed for situations like this one,” Illinois’ athletic department said Monday in a statement.
Documents in Douglas County, where Shannon is scheduled to be arraigned on Jan. 18, state Shannon was charged with “unlawfully, feloniously, and knowingly engaged in sexual intercourse with a person … who did not consent to the sexual intercourse under circumstances when she was overcome by force or fear, a severity level 1 person felony.”
The alleged incident occurred while Shannon was at Kansas University to attend the Illinois-Kansas football game.
Shannon traveled to Lawrence and turned himself in shortly after learning of the warrant, and he posted a $50,000 bond to satisfy the terms of his release.
Shannon would face a “minimum of 147 months to a maximum of 653 months in prison and/or a fine of up to $300,000 and 36 months post-release supervision,” if convicted, according to charging documents.
Sutter said last month that Shannon intends to take the case to trial.
“Since September, when these allegations surfaced, Terrence has cooperated with law enforcement throughout the investigation, declaring his innocence from the beginning,” Sutter said in a statement in December. “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 immediately suspended Shannon from all team activities.
“The University and DIA (Division of Intercollegiate Athletics) take allegations of sexual misconduct seriously while respecting due process and the presumption of innocence afforded through the legal system.”
DIA and Urbana campus officials have been aware of a Lawrence police investigation into Shannon since late September but, until Wednesday, had yet to receive actionable information. Shannon’s arrest triggers the DIA student-athlete misconduct policy.
Under that policy, Shannon has been immediately suspended from all team activities. Any change to Shannon’s status will be communicated in a timely manner.
Shannon was having an All-American-caliber season, averaging 21.7 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 2.5 assists in 11 starts.
