Some additional light has been shed on a mid-October incident that ultimately led to the suspension of a Michigan football player.
Wide receiver Grant Perry is facing multiple charges, including misdemeanor sexual assault, following the incident outside of an East Lansing bar. In mid-December, and following an initial two-game suspension, the 19-year-old sophomore was indefinitely suspended by the football program after charges were formally filed.
According to the police report obtained by the Detroit News, an unidentified female Michigan State student claimed that Perry groped her groin and grabbed her buttocks after he and two friends attempted to cut in line outside of the bar. The woman, who acknowledged that she and her friends were a “little bit drunk” that night, further detailed the encounter with Perry in a police interview a little over two weeks after the incident.
From the News:The men turned, towering over the girls and puffing out their chests, the police report said. She believed one or two of the men returned to the back of the line, realizing they weren’t getting into the bar.
Then she noticed the guy in front of her, allegedly Perry, was still there.
When the doorman denied him entry, he got in the victim’s face and started licking his lips. He then grabbed her buttocks and put his other hand in front of her while continuing to lick his lips, according to the report.
She told him not to get aggressive.
“You want to see aggressive?” he allegedly replied.
According to the report, the incident continued with her elbowing him in the chest, which caused him to lose his balance. He came at her again when she shoved him a second time.
Those in Perry’s group claim it’s a case of mistaken identity, and player’s attorney, mlive.com is reporting, has handed over to police a polygraph test taken by his client and conducted by what was described as an independent examiner. However, three women who were with the alleged victim all told police it was Perry who grabbed her.
In addition to two misdemeanor sexual assault charges, Perry was also charged with felony resisting an officer and underage drinking. He’s already been arraigned, and a preliminary examination scheduled for today was pushed back three weeks.
“Mr. Perry adamantly denies any and all allegations of criminal sexual conduct,” one of Perry’s attorneys said in a statement to mlive.com. “We are hopeful that both the media and the public will afford Mr. Perry the presumption of innocence that he is entitled to and we’re looking forward to contesting these allegations through the court system.”
Perry remains on the Wolverines’ roster, but he didn’t travel with his teammates to the Orange Bowl.