Former Illinois men's basketball star Terrence Shannon Jr. found not guilty in rape trial

Terrence Shannon Jr. was found not guilty in his rape trial Thursday.

The former Illinois men's basketball star faced charges for rape and aggravated sexual battery in a Kansas courtroom, 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 on both counts after deliberating for 90 minutes on Thursday.

Shannon took the stand Thursday while family members looked on. He vehemently denied the allegations, which came from an incident during a trip he had made to watch an Illinois-Kansas football game last fall.

"I never touched, grabbed, pulled over. … That did not happen,” Shannon told the jury, according to published reports.

The 6-foot-6, 225-pound Chicago native is projected to be a first-round pick in the upcoming 2024 NBA Draft.

The Illini suspended him from Dec. 27 through 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 at 23 points per game. He was named first team All-Big Ten by the coaches, media and The Associated Press. He was chosen second team All-America by 247Sports and CBS Sports, third team All-America by the AP, and honorable mention All-America by the USBWA.

The prosecution's closing arguments referred to the 18-year-old woman as a typical student from a junior college who went with her friend to a bar, despite liking neither crowds nor drinking, because it’s what college students do. They referred to the other student — Shannon — as a star 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 travesty, saying science mandates that the Illini player was not responsible for any crime and that police have made no effort to find who was.

The woman described a tall man at the bar who put his hand under her skirt and violated her. The woman said she left the bar and went home to search online the Kansas and Illinois football and basketball rosters. She identified Shannon from that process.

Swabs taken from the woman were tested, and forensic scientists said no male DNA was present.

Among things presented in court was a December group message thread purportedly involving the woman and her roommates.

A link to an ESPN report on Shannon’s suspension from the Illini men's basketball team following the rape charge was shared in the group chat, which also included a message from someone in the group that read "Got his ass," followed by two face emojis with dollar signs for eyes.

Dave Eminian is the Journal Star sports columnist, and covers Bradley men's basketball, the Rivermen and Chiefs. 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.