Terrence Shannon Jr. was found not guilty at his rape trial on Thursday.
Former Illinois men’s basketball star faced charges of rape and aggravated sexual assault in a Kansas court based on allegations made by an 18-year-old woman at a bar near the University of Kansas campus in September.
A jury found him not guilty of both charges after deliberating for 90 minutes on Thursday.
Shannon took the stand Thursday as family members looked on. He has vehemently denied the allegations, which stem from an incident during a trip he took to watch an Illinois-Kansas football game last fall.
“I never touched, grabbed, pulled over. … That didn’t happen,” Shannon told the jury, according to published reports.
The 6-foot-2, 200-pound Chicago native is projected to be a first-round pick in the upcoming 2024 NBA Draft.
The Illini suspended him from Dec. 27 to Jan. 19, when the allegations surfaced, during which he missed six games.
Shannon was reinstated after a court ruling and went on to lead the team in scoring, ranking second in the Big Ten and third in the NCAA with 23 points per game. He was named first team All-Big Ten by coaches, the media and the Associated Press. He was selected second-team All-America by 247Sports and CBS Sports, third-team All-America by the AP and honorable mention All-America by the USBWA.
Emotions in Kansas courtroom as verdict is read NOT GUILTY for ex #Illini Terence Shannon Jr.
The immediate reaction of his legal team, family and friends in Lawrence pic.twitter.com/bL1bhAGYQ0
-Bret Beherns (@WCIA3Bret) June 13, 2024
The prosecution’s closing arguments referred to the 18-year-old as a typical college student who went with her friend to a bar, despite not liking crowds or drinking, because that’s what college students do. They referred to the other student – Shannon – as a famous college athlete who “might as well be the king of the University of Illinois. When he wants something, he gets it.”
Shannon’s defense attorney told the jury the case was a hoax, saying science determines the Illini player was not responsible for any crime and that police made no effort to find out who was.
The woman described a tall man at the bar who put his hand under her skirt and raped her. The woman said she left the bar and went home to research the Kansas and Illinois football and basketball rosters online. She identified Shannon in this process.
Swabs taken from the woman were tested and forensic scientists said there was no male DNA.
Among the things presented in court was a group message from December allegedly involving the woman and her roommates.
A link to an ESPN report about Shannon’s suspension from the Illini men’s basketball team following the rape accusation was shared in the group chat, which also included a message from someone in the group that said “I got the ass,” followed by two face emojis with dollar signs for eyes.
Dave Eminian is a sports columnist for the Journal Star and covers Bradley, Rivermen and Chiefs men’s basketball. He writes the Cleve In The Eve sports column for pjstar.com. He can be reached at 686-3206 or deminian@pjstar.com. Follow him on X.com @icetimecleve.
This article originally appeared in the Journal Star: Terrence Shannon Jr. found not guilty in rape trial
