Illinois’ Terrence Shannon Jr. charged with rape in Kansas

Illinois men’s basketball star Terrence Shannon Jr. was charged with rape in Douglas County, Kansas, for an alleged incident that occurred when the Illini football team played at Kansas on the second weekend of September.

Shannon was suspended from all activities, effective immediately, the school announced Thursday, one day after a warrant was issued for his arrest. According to Illinois, Shannon traveled to Lawrence, Kansas, on Thursday and was returning to Champaign after posting bail.

In a statement, the school wrote that it “take[s] allegations of sexual misconduct seriously while respecting due process and the presumption of innocence afforded through the legal system.”

“We have zero tolerance for sexual misconduct,” athletic director Josh Whitman said. “At the same time, [athletic department] policy affords student-athletes appropriate levels of due process based on the nature and severity of the allegations. We will rely on that policy and our prior experiences to manage this situation appropriately for the University and the involved parties.”

Illinois officials have been aware of a Lawrence police investigation into Shannon since late September, according to the school, but didn’t receive “actionable information” until Wednesday.

Shannon, 23, is from Chicago and attended Lincoln Park. Widely considered a potential first-team All-American as the new year neared, the senior is averaging 21.7 points per game — eighth nationally and second in the Big Ten — for the 11th-ranked Illini, who host Fairleigh Dickinson on Friday before resuming Big Ten play against Northwestern on Tuesday.