Have you heard of Terrance Shannon Jr.? Last college basketball season, he was one of the country’s best players for the University of Illinois. But his incredible talent on the court was overshadowed by a rape case that was looming over him for half of the season.
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The fifth-year senior was charged with one count of rape or an alternative count of sexual battery in Dec. 2023 after a woman claimed that he sexually assaulted her during his visit to the University of Kansas for an Illinois football game in September 2023, according to the Associated Press.
Though Shannon was suspended for only six games and allowed to continue playing for the Fighting Illini, this rape trial was looming over him — and the team for that matter. But on June 13, the projected first-round NBA draft pick was found not guilty of rape in Douglas County, Kansas, according to the Associated Press.
As a result, the 19-year-old woman who accused the 23-year-old basketball prospect of rape has received a slew of hate from people on social media, with some arguing that she should be prosecuted in court and others sending the woman and her family death threats.
In a short interview with the Chicago Tribune, the mother of the woman, whose identity has not been shared, said, “It’s been horrible. It’s just so emotional. I guess I was just so naive of the fact that this is what would happen and these awful people.”
Others have even gone as far as to dox the young woman by publicly revealing her social media information online.
Most people have voiced support for Shannon, while also pointing out that the 19-year-old should face consequences for accusing the star athlete.
One user went as far as to write that the woman “should face charges of perjury and filing a false police report. And the state of Kansas should be sued for moving forward with a case that clearly was BS from day one! Terrance Shannon Jr. deserves compensation and justice! There has to be a precedent set!”
Even LeBron James showed his support for Shannon.
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“It is vital to remember that while false rape charges, and especially convictions of such charges, are reprehensible,” Belknap said, “it is also true that rape survivors are typically very reluctant to report to the police, recognizing that they will likely be blamed and their names dragged through the mud.”
In the meantime, Shannon is preparing for the 2024 NBA Draft, where’s mocked to go anywhere from mid-first-round to early second-round.
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