UPDATE: January 9, 2024
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WAND) — The University of Illinois has filed a notice of removal to have the case heard in the U.S. District Court and not in the Champaign County Court, on Tuesday.
The University's response comes after Terrence Shannon Jr. filed a temporary restraining order on Monday. A hearing has been scheduled for Friday.
According to the notice, the university believe that the United States District Court for the Central District of Illinois is the appropriate venue for the case.
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January 8, 2024
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WAND) — Terrence Shannon Jr.'s legal team filed a temporary restraining order on Monday, in the hopes to get him back on the basketball court with the team.
Shannon Jr.'s attorneys released a statement Monday evening, stating:
"All we want for our client is a fair process, and TJ has not received that yet. Respectfully, this was a rush to judgment by the University, and the protocol that they implemented to summarily suspend our client ignored the fundamentals of due process and the presumption of innocence. Our team remains hopeful that justice will ultimately be served."
WAND has obtained the complaint filed by Shannon's attorneys, it is attached below.
Shannon was suspended from all team activities following rape allegations that were made on December 28, after an alleged incident occurred when Shannon traveled to Lawrence for the Illinois vs Kansas football game on September 8.
Shannon's arrest triggered the DIA student-athlete misconduct policy, calling for the original suspension from the team.
That policy also dictates that a three-person student-athlete conduct panel convene within 48 hours to determine whether the available information “justifies withholding the student-athlete from some or all athletic activities pending resolution of the charges or allegations.”
The details of that process remain unknown.
If the temporary restraining order is granted, the next legal step would be a preliminary injunction hearing.
The Illinois Men's Basketball team is scheduled to host Michigan State on Thursday and Maryland on Sunday.
Shannon's first scheduled court date in Douglas County is Jan. 18, the same day that Illinois plays at Michigan.
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