A Kansas judge on Friday ordered University of Illinois basketball star Terrence Shannon Jr. to stand trial on rape charges after a woman said she was “scared” after being assaulted.
Shannon, 23, of Champaign, Illinois, was charged with sexual assault on September 9 in Lawrence, Kansas. The Lawrence Journal-World reported that Shannon was in Lawrence that day to watch a football game between the Illini and the University of Kansas.
He is charged with alternative charges of rape or sexual assault. Shannon was suspended for six games as a result of the charge, but was reinstated after a federal judge ruled that his civil rights had been violated.
The woman told police she was at the bar when a man, later identified as Shannon, grabbed her buttocks, put his hand under her skirt and touched her in a sexual manner. The woman said the bar was so crowded that she couldn't move.
Shannon testified Friday that he never touched the woman, the Journal World reported.
Judge Sally Pokorny ordered Shannon to stand trial and allowed him to be released on $50,000 bail.
Shannon led the Illini in scoring as a fifth-year student last season, helping them reach the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament, but lost to eventual champion Connecticut.