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The Daily OrangeAthletes cleared of assault charges
Three basketball players on probation
By Melanie Hicken
Posted: 8/25/08, 12:36 AM EST Section: News
Following 10 months of negotiations, miscommunication and grand jury and campus investigations, three Syracuse University men's basketball players have been cleared of both criminal and university charges that they sexually assaulted a female student last fall.
Sophomore basketball players Jonny Flynn, Rick Jackson and Antonio "Scoop" Jardine and a fourth male SU student were cleared of university charges on Aug. 15 by an SU Judicial Affairs panel made up of faculty and staff.
The judicial affairs decision followed an Aug. 2 decision by an Onondaga County grand jury that rejected criminal charges against Flynn, Jackson and Jardine after the three testified in a grand jury hearing. The fourth male student was not a part of the grand jury investigation.
The female student withdrew from SU last spring and will not return, her lawyer said.
"There was no basis to consider charges," said Jackson's lawyer, Mike Vavonese. "Our clients have denied these allegations from day one."
District Attorney William Fitzpatrick explained the grand jury's decision in a letter to the three defense attorneys.
"The grand jury's decision to decline to even consider charges is consistent with what our investigation revealed," Fitzpatrick wrote.
Although cleared of charges, the three players and the male SU student were all placed on disciplinary probation until the spring of 2011, because the panel concluded the players' conduct could have threatened the female student's mental health. They must complete 30 hours of community service, take part in a gender sensitivity and domestic violence education program and go through an evaluation to determine if counseling is needed.
Neither the players nor the female student who made the allegations appealed the panel's decision, said SU spokesman Kevin Morrow.
The female student was disappointed by the grand jury and judicial panel's decision and still stands by her allegations, but she chose not to appeal, said her lawyer Patrick Britt.
Sophomore basketball players Jonny Flynn, Rick Jackson and Antonio "Scoop" Jardine and a fourth male SU student were cleared of university charges on Aug. 15 by an SU Judicial Affairs panel made up of faculty and staff.
The judicial affairs decision followed an Aug. 2 decision by an Onondaga County grand jury that rejected criminal charges against Flynn, Jackson and Jardine after the three testified in a grand jury hearing. The fourth male student was not a part of the grand jury investigation.
The female student withdrew from SU last spring and will not return, her lawyer said.
"There was no basis to consider charges," said Jackson's lawyer, Mike Vavonese. "Our clients have denied these allegations from day one."
District Attorney William Fitzpatrick explained the grand jury's decision in a letter to the three defense attorneys.
"The grand jury's decision to decline to even consider charges is consistent with what our investigation revealed," Fitzpatrick wrote.
Although cleared of charges, the three players and the male SU student were all placed on disciplinary probation until the spring of 2011, because the panel concluded the players' conduct could have threatened the female student's mental health. They must complete 30 hours of community service, take part in a gender sensitivity and domestic violence education program and go through an evaluation to determine if counseling is needed.
Neither the players nor the female student who made the allegations appealed the panel's decision, said SU spokesman Kevin Morrow.
The female student was disappointed by the grand jury and judicial panel's decision and still stands by her allegations, but she chose not to appeal, said her lawyer Patrick Britt.
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 2
jah
posted 8/25/08 @ 8:23 AM EST
reminds me of billy edelin. just remember, as long as you bring in $ to the university, you can rape whoever you want.
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