Nebraska running back Maurice Washington has been accused of keeping a video of a 15-year old girl allegedly being sexually assaulted and sending it to her in a threatening manner. The California native is facing charges filed under the state’s revenge porn law, according to a report from NBC Bay Area.
According to the report, Washington did not record the video and was not connected to the sexual assault depicted in the video. The girl in the video is an ex-girlfriend and the video allegedly involved two other former classmates of Washington’s. Washington allegedly sent the video, which was saved on his phone, to the girl last March. Washington has been charged for attempting to inflict emotional damage on the alleged victim. He also faces charges of distributing child pornography because the girl was 15 years old at the time of the video recording.
One of the boys seen in the video was arrested in 2016 and placed on probation after being found guilty of distributing the video initially to classmates. The girl in the video did not report a rape to the police at the time due to feeling ashamed, according to the report. Neither boy was charged with sexual assault.
The message from Washington to the girl was seen first by the girl’s step-mother, who monitored the girl’s social media interactions through an iPad. Upon seeing the video contained in the message, the step-mother reported the message to local authorities. An investigator has reportedly been unable to interview Washington despite multiple requests with Nebraska’s athletics department and Washington’s attorney.
Further complicating this story for Nebraska is the revelation the University of Nebraska was aware of the allegations against Washington last fall. Despite the allegations levied against him, Washington continued to play for the Huskers, appearing in 11 games and not missing a game since Oct. 13. When the university was made aware of the allegations is not confirmed in detail.
“This is a situation involving an inappropriate cell phone video,” a statement from Washington’s attorney, John C. Bell, said. “The allegations are that Mr. Washington sent that video to his high school girlfriend. Mr. Washington did not make the video, nor does he appear in the video. The incident is alleged to have taken place in California, several years ago. Mr. Washington will continue to be fully cooperative with the authorities in this situation. We are in contact with those authorities, and are in the process of making arrangements to move forward and resolve this matter. Mr. Washington has confidence in our justice system, and knows that he can rely on the fundamental constitutional rights of due process and the presumption of innocence.”
Washington rushed for 455 yards and three touchdowns and caught 24 passes for 221 yards and a touchdown for Nebraska in 2018. He also returned 13 kickoffs for 204 yards.