There’s some positive news on the legal front for one playing member of the Illinois football program.
In late October, Fighting Illini defensive tackle Lere Oladipo was arrested in connection to a domestic incident and charged with one count of domestic battery/bodily harm and two counts of domestic battery/physical contact. As Oladipo, who pleaded not guilty to all counts, was set to go to trial Tuesday, the three charges he was facing were dismissed.
The state’s attorney’s office dropped the charges after the alleged victim and a witness called police and changed their stories.
Oladipo was indefinitely suspended shortly after the incident; a school spokesperson stated that the suspension remains in place, although head coach Lovie Smith will review the player’s status in the coming weeks.
A redshirt freshman defensive lineman, Oladipo played in four games this season. He didn’t see the field at all after the suspension.