A quartet of Purdue football players have thus far avoided criminal recriminations, but they still must navigate their university’s justice system before seeing the field again.
It was reported Wednesday that two female Purdue students had accused four Boilermaker football players of sexually assaulting them in mid-October. The names of neither the players nor alleged victims were released. The West Lafayette Police Department investigated the allegations and forwarded the case to the county prosecutor; last night, it was confirmed that the prosecutor’s office had decided against filing criminal charges.
However, the university has suspended all four players as it conducts a federally-mandated Title IX investigation. The unnamed players are not permitted to take part in any football-related activities until the probe has concluded.
The alleged sexual assaults took place Oct. 13 of this year at an off-campus residence. The West Lafayette Journal & Courier has reported on the police report connected to the investigation as to what the two female students allege to have happened that night:The two women told police they were drinking wine at their apartment when one began messaging a football player about having a threesome. Eventually, he picked them up and took them to a residence in the 800 block of Hayes Street in West Lafayette.
There, investigators say, they reportedly drank more alcohol and smoked marijuana with four football players before the women asked for a ride to a nearby sorority house. By 12:30 a.m., the females requested a ride back to the Hayes Street apartment, according to the police report.
The women told police they began having sex with two of the football players in a bedroom upstairs. After several minutes, the other two men in the room at the time initiated unwanted sex with them, they said. When questioned by police, the football players said they believed the sex was consensual but said, however, that one of the women asked one of the men to stop, and he did.
In separate statements to investigators, all parties said nobody was intoxicated to the point of being incapacitated that night.The alleged victims have retained counsel, although according to the Associated Press they aren’t considering a lawsuit. Rather, they are looking for the players to be expelled from school.