First, I don't have anything to say about TJ Shannon's guilt or innocence. I wasn't there when the alleged incident took place, and I don't take anything that I read from any involved party or media outlet with much degree of certainty. I've read all of the legal filings and I personally talked to one of Shannon's lawyers.
There has been virtually no clear evidence made public that should lead anyone to assume guilt or innocence. Assuming innocence is certainly engrained in the justice system, and in our culture. But nothing is certain. There has been an affidavit that lists the alleged sequence of events, and there has been an unequivocal denial by Shannon and his legal team. There has been no discovery presented, and that should come as no surprise. The case hasn't reached that point yet. Both sides will get their day in court.
I sincerely hope that Shannon is completely innocent of these charges and that he returns to play for Illinois this season. I don't have an opinion on the likelihood of his return to the court. Things can change rapidly in any legal proceeding. Multiple outcomes to both the TRO motion and the criminal case are possible.
The rumor mongering that has taken place over the last week or so is above and beyond anything that I've experienced in my 12 years covering Illinois sports. Some of the rumors have proven to be fairly accurate, and some have not only proven to be inaccurate but actually revealed something sinister about the individual pushing the narratives.
Finally, while there is certainly flaws in the systems that handle student misconduct at America's colleges, including Illinois, there is absolutely no way that Illinois can let Shannon play while he is formally charged with a sex crime. No way. Period. The temporary restraining order that Shannon seeks, if granted, would change things considerably, obviously.
There has been virtually no clear evidence made public that should lead anyone to assume guilt or innocence. Assuming innocence is certainly engrained in the justice system, and in our culture. But nothing is certain. There has been an affidavit that lists the alleged sequence of events, and there has been an unequivocal denial by Shannon and his legal team. There has been no discovery presented, and that should come as no surprise. The case hasn't reached that point yet. Both sides will get their day in court.
I sincerely hope that Shannon is completely innocent of these charges and that he returns to play for Illinois this season. I don't have an opinion on the likelihood of his return to the court. Things can change rapidly in any legal proceeding. Multiple outcomes to both the TRO motion and the criminal case are possible.
The rumor mongering that has taken place over the last week or so is above and beyond anything that I've experienced in my 12 years covering Illinois sports. Some of the rumors have proven to be fairly accurate, and some have not only proven to be inaccurate but actually revealed something sinister about the individual pushing the narratives.
Finally, while there is certainly flaws in the systems that handle student misconduct at America's colleges, including Illinois, there is absolutely no way that Illinois can let Shannon play while he is formally charged with a sex crime. No way. Period. The temporary restraining order that Shannon seeks, if granted, would change things considerably, obviously.
