The attorney for Oklahoma running back Rodney Anderson labeled the allegations against his client “patently false.” A few days later, the Sooners football player has been vindicated.
At a press conference Thursday afternoon, Cleveland County (Okla.) District Attorney Greg Mashburn announced that his office would not pursue charges against Anderson. The decision came after the prosecutor met with a Norman Police Department detective Tuesday afternoon and again Thursday morning.
Earlier this month, a woman filed for an emergency order of protection against Anderson; additional details subsequently emerged, with the woman describing the player in a written statement to the court as the “alleged rapist” and herself as the “victim of rape.” A hearing on the protective order had been scheduled for Dec. 18.
The alleged assault occurred Nov. 16, with the alleged victim claiming that she began recalling details of the alleged attack the weekend of Dec. 2 as she was speaking to a friend.
Late last week, it was reported that Anderson passed a three-hour lie detector test administered to him this past week by a retired FBI polygraph examiner. Bill Brown, the retired FBI investigator who has reportedly performed in excess of 3,500 such polygraph exams, was hired by Derek Chance, Anderson’s attorney, to administer the test. That attorney claimed that the accuser only went to the authorities with her claims after Anderson had rejected several of her advances.
In short: Text messages on both the accuser and Rodney Anderson's phones played a big role in decision not to file charges. #Sooners
— Eric Bailey (@EricBaileyTW) December 14, 2017
Anderson currently leads the Sooners with 960 yards rushing and 11 touchdowns on the ground. He’s also caught 16 passes for 283 yards and another five touchdowns coming out of the backfield.
No. 2 Oklahoma is set to face No. 3 Georgia in the Rose Bowl New Year’s Day, with the winner facing the Clemson-Alabama winner for the right to play for the 2017 College Football Playoff championship.