Illinois Basketball Star Terrence Shannon, Jr. Found Innocent Of Sexual Battery Claims

Former Illinois guard Terrence Shannon, Jr. has been deemed an innocent man after facing charges of felony rape and aggravated sexual battery. 

A jury in Douglas County on Thursday determined Shannon's innocence due to a lack of evidence after an 18-year-old woman accused Shannon of abusing her after the two met at a bar in September 2023.

The accusations against Shannon led to an indefinite suspension (six games) from Illinois last season. The basketball program led an investigation and Shannon filed a temporary restraining order against Illinois in order to re-join the Fighting Illini in December. Illinois later dropped its investigation on the NBA-caliber player. 

BOSTON - Illinois Fighting Illini guard Terrence Shannon Jr. uses the pick from Quincy Guerrier (13) on UCONN Huskies guard Hassan Diarra during the NCAA Elite Eight, East Regional Final between the UCONN Huskies and the Illinois Fighting Illini on March 30, 2024, at TD Garden. (Photo by Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Last year, a woman who met Shannon at a bar alleged that the college basketball player sexually abused her after they attended a football game in Lawrence, Kansas. However, fellow teammates and eyewitnesses at the scene supported Shannon's innocence. After a week-long trial, the jury concluded that the 23-year-old was innocent.

ESPN noted that Shannon would begin meeting with teams as early as Friday. Heading into the NBA Draft in late June, Shannon has been projected as a top-25 pick.

Participating in the NBA Draft Combine, Shannon addressed the legal claims made against him.

"I know they'll be asking me questions about it. I just can't really go in that much detail about it," Shannon said at the Combine last month. "I feel like I'm a good kid. I make sure everybody's good, and I just take care of everybody around me."

Shannon's legal team, led by attorney Mark Sutter, released a statement on Thursday's decision.

"We're happy with the outcome," Sutter announced. "Terrence Shannon Jr. finally got his day in court. We denied the allegations back in September and on that date, we pledged that one day soon, we would have our day in court and we did. And we're happy with the outcome. And, at the end of the day, I think the public at large owes Shannon Jr. an apology."

"He's a good kid and we had a lot of really good character witnesses in addition to the investigation and the challenge of all the evidence, or lack thereof," he added. "It was a nice turnout for him."

Shannon averaged a career-high 23.0 points per game in 2023-24. 

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