After being exonerated through the legal system, Praise Martin-Oguike is now getting another chance to extend his collegiate football career as well.
In June of 2012, Martin-Oguike was hit with a litany of charges, including aggravated assault, forcible rape, sexual assault, unlawful restraint and false imprisonment, after a Temple student alleged he raped her in the linebacker’s dorm room. Martin-Oguike, who was indefinitely suspended by the Owls, maintained that the sex was consensual and, a little over a year later, all charges were dropped.
“Upon further investigation it was determined there wasn’t enough evidence to proceed to trial,” a Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office spokesperson said at the time.
Martin-Oguike was reinstated by the Owls in January of 2014, but missed the 2013 season because of what turned out to be false accusations. That has been rectified to some degree, however, as the school announced in a press release Tuesday morning that Martin-Oguike’s appeal for an additional season of eligibility has been approved by the NCAA.
Martin-Oguike will now see his eligibility extend through the 2016 season. He will be a redshirt junior in 2015.
“I can’t imagine what Praise and his family were put through from the time those accusations were made,” head coach Matt Rhule said in a statement. “Hopefully he - and the rest of our players for that matter - learn from that experience how close they are to having the privilege of playing college athletics taken away. Fortunately, in this instance, Praise has been able to restore his life and his reputation. He has done everything we’ve asked of him since returning to the team.”
“I said throughout this process that I just want to get back to the life I had before,” said Martin-Oguike. “There was a path that I was on, to play four years of college football and get my college degree, then hopefully, have an opportunity to play at the next level. I’m working towards that goal and I’m very thankful that I’m back on that path.”
In 2014, Martin-Oguike led the Owls with 7.5 sacks after starting 11 games. For his efforts, he was named second-team All-AAC.