Terrence Shannon Jr. filed for a temporary restraining order on Monday against the University of Illinois seeking immediate reinstatement after the school suspended the star wing indefinitely in December following a rape charge. The suit claims Shannon was not granted due process before being suspended from the team, according to a copy obtained by 247Sports.
"TJ has constantly maintained his innocence," Shannon's attorney, Mark Goldenberg, told 247Sports. "All he wants is a fair process, and we don't think he's gotten that yet. …He's been granted no due process rights, no presumption of innocence, no fair and complete open opportunity to defend the claim."
An arrest warrant for Shannon Jr. was issued in late December, and he surrendered to authorities shortly thereafter. The warrant issued is in connection with a Sept. 8 incident in Kansas while he was in town to watch an Illinois football game at the University of Kansas. He was not on official university business nor was he with the football team's travel party, per the school.
A copy of the sworn affidavit filed by the Lawrence Police Department accuses Shannon of sexually assaulting a woman while on a campus bar in Lawrence, Kansas, on the night of Sept. 8. The woman consented to a sexual assault examination at a local hospital the next day and reported the incident to authorities.
A ruling on the temporary restraining order filing could come this week. If granted, he could return to the team, though the TRO would only last 10 days.
Shannon Jr. is the leading scorer for the 10th-ranked Illini putting up a career-best 21.7 points per game while shooting 40.8% from 3-point range. The fifth-year senior began his career at Texas Tech before transferring to Illinois in 2022.
