Illinois' Terrence Shannon Jr. suspended, faces rape charges in Kansas

Illinois suspended star guard Terrence Shannon Jr. on Thursday after a warrant was issued for his arrest on a rape charge.

The Douglas County (Kansas) District Attorney issued the warrant for the Big Ten's second-leading scorer on Wednesday.

The alleged incident occurred while Shannon was in Lawrence, Kan., to attend the Illinois-Kansas football game on Sept. 8. According to reports, Shannon traveled to Lawrence and turned himself in shortly after learning of the warrant.

Illinois officials released a statement announcing that Shannon had been immediately suspended from all team activities.

"The University and DIA (Division of Intercollegiate Athletics) take allegations of sexual misconduct seriously while respecting due process and the presumption of innocence afforded through the legal system.

"DIA and Urbana campus officials have been aware of a Lawrence police investigation into Shannon since late September but, until Wednesday, had yet to receive actionable information. Shannon's arrest triggers the DIA student-athlete misconduct policy. Under that policy, Shannon has been immediately suspended from all team activities. Any change to Shannon's status will be communicated in a timely manner."

Shannon is having an All-American-caliber season, averaging 21.7 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 11 starts for the 11th-ranked Fighting Illini (9-2, 1-0 Big Ten).

The 6-foot-6 senior from Chicago has career averages of 13.5 points and 3.9 rebounds in 125 games (95 starts) for Texas Tech (2019-22) and Illinois.

—Field Level Media