Terrence Shannon Jr. suspended
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He wasn't charged with a crime?
Seems like a pretty decent excuse. You can't just suspend people for an accusation. And its not like the school is interviewing witnesses in Kansas. Letting the legal system play out is not a bad thing
Great questions Chief. Upon further reflection, I might ask will he stay in school, even if he is innocent? Regardless, the blow to his psyche will likely take years from which to recover and any possibility, or reality, of his return to the team this season will likely see only a shadow of his former self.
What we know of TSjr., the public figure, player, and representative of the University, has always seemed so positive in many, many ways.
Of course, this kind of allegation is not new in our world and serves to show others how important it is to take some time to reflect on where you are and with whom. Today's athletes obviously are now walking a much narrower tightrope without a safety net than those of the last millennium. Having graduated 55 years ago, the social landscape has changed drastically and the landmines, for both men and women, are more difficult to avoid.
Bottom line TSjr. has provided all of us with a shocking and disappointing reminder of the pitfalls of our passionate support and interest in college athletics. I hope this gets resolved with some satisfaction to both parties, but that young man, and the young woman involved, will have their lives changed forever starting today.
I mean, a “charge” is just a formal accusation. We don’t know much about actionable evidence beyond what the university’s statement said.
Obviously, this issue must play itself out in the court system. And those without intimate knowledge of the events should not speculate about it.
Where it should NOT play itself out is on the basketball court. The Illini have taken a shock to the system but they cannot allow this to derail one of the most promising seasons in years.
There is a great deal of talent on this team. So much so, that the potential loss of Shannon would open up floor time for guys to bring out and display some their own ball talent in ways that would not be been possible before.
We all know the importance of team. We know how special it is when guys just blend and bond together and form something greater than the sum of its parts. But any team MUST be more than one guy.
This is a test of character for the Illini. What kind of character do they have? Are they going to just fold and find excuses for failing? Or are they going to dig deep and find in themselves strength and purpose that they did not call upon before?
The Fighting Illini do not just play for each other. They play for the entire State of Illinois. They play for Illini Nation. They play for all the guys over the decades who have put on the Orange and Blue. And they play for future generations of Illini who will be watching to see how this current group – and the Coaches – handle things.
We know this thing sucks. But sports is dealing with the unexpected. It is facing whatever comes your way and meeting that challenge and prospering anyway.
Let’s go, Fighting Illini. Be shocked... hurt... angry... confused... and then get back on your game and have the great season that you and Illini Nation were on the path to having.
Where it should NOT play itself out is on the basketball court. The Illini have taken a shock to the system but they cannot allow this to derail one of the most promising seasons in years.
There is a great deal of talent on this team. So much so, that the potential loss of Shannon would open up floor time for guys to bring out and display some their own ball talent in ways that would not be been possible before.
We all know the importance of team. We know how special it is when guys just blend and bond together and form something greater than the sum of its parts. But any team MUST be more than one guy.
This is a test of character for the Illini. What kind of character do they have? Are they going to just fold and find excuses for failing? Or are they going to dig deep and find in themselves strength and purpose that they did not call upon before?
The Fighting Illini do not just play for each other. They play for the entire State of Illinois. They play for Illini Nation. They play for all the guys over the decades who have put on the Orange and Blue. And they play for future generations of Illini who will be watching to see how this current group – and the Coaches – handle things.
We know this thing sucks. But sports is dealing with the unexpected. It is facing whatever comes your way and meeting that challenge and prospering anyway.
Let’s go, Fighting Illini. Be shocked... hurt... angry... confused... and then get back on your game and have the great season that you and Illini Nation were on the path to having.
I don't understand this take? You wanted them to conduct a criminal investigation and dole out judgement faster than law enforcement and prosecution even could?
Relax there redwing. You wanted him suspended on an allegation? With the character TSJ has displayed, the amount of money he stands to lose and the fact he has willingly cooperated with KS authorities I think you should wait till this plays out before firing anybody or convicting TSJ
I haven't felt this devastated since the Jamar Smith/Brian Carlwell incident.
Obviously the most important thing is if this is accurate or not and no one here has any reason to believe anything. Sadly just gotta wait and let this play out.
Secondarily, this is a program defining/altering event. Alot of it reminds of the Jamar Smith situation where it just cast such a stain that the program couldn't recover. This will be the same.
Most importantly will be how JW/BU respond with their comments and actions about what they knew and when.
Then it will be about how the program plays without TSJ. Regardless of how this plays out, it's very unlikely we'll see TSJ play in a illini uniform again. How do the players respond? Obviously, we won't be contending for championships, but can we still muster up a tourney appearance?
Finally it'll be how does this impact BU in his commitment to Illinois and recruiting in the off-season. This is assuming he doesn't mishandle the response and his actions were correct.
I can see this play out a million ways, but sadly the moment has changed everything and this fun season that we've all been ready for is gone.
I pray for everyone involved that justice is severd and we can get to the other side of this in tack and come next season get ready for another chance at enjoying a great run.
Obviously the most important thing is if this is accurate or not and no one here has any reason to believe anything. Sadly just gotta wait and let this play out.
Secondarily, this is a program defining/altering event. Alot of it reminds of the Jamar Smith situation where it just cast such a stain that the program couldn't recover. This will be the same.
Most importantly will be how JW/BU respond with their comments and actions about what they knew and when.
Then it will be about how the program plays without TSJ. Regardless of how this plays out, it's very unlikely we'll see TSJ play in a illini uniform again. How do the players respond? Obviously, we won't be contending for championships, but can we still muster up a tourney appearance?
Finally it'll be how does this impact BU in his commitment to Illinois and recruiting in the off-season. This is assuming he doesn't mishandle the response and his actions were correct.
I can see this play out a million ways, but sadly the moment has changed everything and this fun season that we've all been ready for is gone.
I pray for everyone involved that justice is severd and we can get to the other side of this in tack and come next season get ready for another chance at enjoying a great run.
In criminal cases DNA results are usually available in 24 to 72 hours
What are you even saying?
skyIdub
Winged Warrior
"Terrence is innocent of these charges, and he intends to take his case to trial."
Well, if this is in fact the case....his season is indeed over. The absolute best case was the charges are dropped/reduced quickly and he could come back late season.
Going to trial is a ways off.
Luke, Harmon and DGL's minutes just went way up.
Well, if this is in fact the case....his season is indeed over. The absolute best case was the charges are dropped/reduced quickly and he could come back late season.
Going to trial is a ways off.
Luke, Harmon and DGL's minutes just went way up.
I swear this program is cursed.
As a criminal defense attorney, I commented to one of my colleagues soon after the NIL decision from the Supreme Court that young athletes were now going to be perceived as wealthy, and thus more vulnerable than ever to false accusations. I have in fact defended such cases (not in the NIL context).
As the father of two daughters (and as one who bleeds O&B), I can only hope and pray that this horrible accusation is not true.
As the father of two daughters (and as one who bleeds O&B), I can only hope and pray that this horrible accusation is not true.
The D.A. builds the case. In big cases, they want to make sure they are air tight in order to assure a conviction.
3 months is not long in this case. We are not talking petty theft or a bar fight.
And those judging the University, they handled exactly as would be expected. They are going to keep a lid on any investigation until it domes forth. Can you imagine universities reporting investigations and finding the charges to be false. I pray pray pray that this is somehow a misunderstanding. However, as a University you are not going to reveal this until you have hard action. Reason being that even now if he is innocent, this will follow him. University doesn’t want to be the cause of that
IMHO, the answer should be obvious. Until charges are filed, the University, coaches, AD, and teammates have an (legal?) obligation to avoid discussion.
But for all I know, as you infer, maybe they should have been shouting to the world daily about it...though I can't imagine a valid reason.
That this is just now becoming public, almost four months later, on the day charges were filed, is an admirable and unbelievable, performance of legal obligation by all involved.
And, furthermore, we should all be grateful for what TSjr. has done on the floor this season to date with this hanging over his head. Think about that.
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Discussing this from purely a basketball point of view, I agree with your sentiments, but disagree with the thoughts that this won't derail the season. This team went from top 10 with Final Four potential to a bubble team and even that's a maybe.
You just don't remove a first team All American and replace him.
The NET, at this point, is also out the window because it's indicative of a team with Terrance on the court.
If we're being positive, it's a good season to have the roster makeup be that of experienced seniors. They'll have to hold this together until they get their sea legs. Their philosophy on both ends of the floor will change, the rotation will change, they're going to have to reestablish roles, etc. We're basically back to the beginning of October again with a 0-0 record.
That is basketball commentary only.
This is just dumb… how would you have handled this situation? Keep in mind the future of a young man, the reputation of your program, and likely multiple millions of dollars in liability exposure are all at stake.
Also, you may be surprised by how little evidence is required to establish probable cause. Not saying that’s the case here, just in general.
Hoping like hell that the charges are false and this statement is just a signal that some monetary settlement is off the table. If the accusations are true, well, I'm really at a loss how someone could be that stupid. But, I guess you just never can figure people out. Either way, someone made a serious, stupid mistake that will forever impact someone's life. Tragic.
The reality of this is that, now, the best case scenario we can hope for is that TSJ did not commit sexual assault, and this young man's life can resume. This will take the entirety of the season so he will not be able to return.
The inverse of this is the worst case scenario; that TSJ did indeed commit this crime. However, based on the statement, I can only hope that he is vindicated in the court of law. But undoubtedly it appears his season is over.
IlliniKat91
- Chicago, IL
Sometimes it's not stupidity at all. Sometimes it's a total lack of communication. If anyone has scoffed at the idea of enthusiastic/affirmative consent, now is the time to reconsider. Teaching that is the only way to really avoid these kinds of situations.
Seriously. If it actually happened, it's really horrible for the accuser. If it didn't happen it's really horrible for the accused. Either way, there is a victim here that got a much bigger raw deal then us basketball fans.
i tried to say something similar to this, but you summed it up much much better. Two lives have changed, forever, today.
PizzaHutParkingLot
- McPherson, KS
As we all await the facts, I can't help but wonder what the conversations in the locker room are like and how BU adjusts without having our on-court leader.
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