Illinois drops investigation into Terrence Shannon Jr. - ESPN

The University of Illinois has closed an internal investigation into a sexual assault allegation against basketball player Terrence Shannon Jr.

In a letter to Shannon dated April 5, Robert Wilczynski, the director of the Office for Student Conflict Resolution at Illinois, wrote that the school had insufficient evidence to find Shannon in violation of the student code. Wilczynski wrote that the school's investigator did not have «access to the complainant, the complainant's witness» and that «the complete Lawrence Police Department file was not available to the investigator,» according to the letter.

Shannon was arrested Dec. 28 in Lawrence, Kansas, and charged with rape, sexual intercourse without consent and use of force. According to a police affidavit, a woman told police that Shannon digitally penetrated her at a bar in Lawrence without her consent on Sept. 9.

Shannon's attorney, Robert Lang, said Shannon «fully cooperated with the university's investigation, and the university did as thorough of an investigation as possible that spanned several weeks.» Lawyers representing Shannon in his criminal case did not respond to messages seeking comment.

A spokeswoman for the university declined to comment, citing federal privacy law that «prevents the University from sharing information about any specific case involving student discipline.» The school's letter noted that «the matter may be reopened if new substantial evidence is brought to the attention of [the Office for Student Conflict Resolution] from any source.»

Shannon also dropped a lawsuit against Illinois and its president, Timothy Killeen. Shannon had filed for an injunction in January, claiming the school made a «rush to judgment» and used an «unfair» process