Illinois suspends Terrence Shannon Jr. following arrest on rape charges

Illinois suspended star men’s basketball player Terrence Shannon Jr. from all team activities Thursday following an arrest on rape charges.

The Douglas County district attorney issued a warrant for Shannon’s arrest on Wednesday stemming from an alleged incident that occurred in Lawrence, Kansas, in early September. Shannon was visiting Lawrence at the time to attend the Illinois at Kansas football game on Sept. 8.

Shannon traveled to Lawrence on Thursday and surrendered himself to authorities. He is facing one charge of rape, sexual intercourse without consent and use of force, according to Douglas County Sheriff's Office booking records. Shannon posted $50,000 bail and, according to an Illinois release, was expected to return to Champaign.

Illinois said that it has been aware that Lawrence police were investigating Shannon since September, but campus officials, until Wednesday, "had yet to receive actionable information."

“The university and [the Division of Intercollegiate Athletics] have shown time and again that we have zero tolerance for sexual misconduct,” Illinois athletic director Josh Whitman said in a statement. “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.”

Attorney Mark P. Sutter released a statement Thursday on behalf of Shannon noting that his client has cooperated with law enforcement since September and has declared his innocence from the beginning.

"Now, several months later, my office learned that formal charges were filed against him yesterday in Lawrence, KS," Sutter wrote. "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."

The suspension of Shannon is a massive blow to an Illinois basketball team that is off to a 9-2 start and climbed to No. 11 in the AP Top 25 this week after dismantling rival Missouri last Friday. Shannon averaged 21.7 points per game so far this season and shot over 40% from behind the arc, establishing himself as an All-American candidate and a potential first-round pick next June.

The 6-foot-6 Shannon is a fifth-year senior who has starred at Illinois for the past two seasons. He played his first three seasons of college basketball at Texas Tech.