Illinois releases statement on Terrence Shannon suspension, restraining order

The University of Illinois on Wednesday released another statement addressing the latest legal machinations involving men’s basketball guard Terrence Shannon Jr. Shannon has sued the school after being suspended in late December following criminal charges being filed for an alleged rape.

On Friday, a federal judge ruled in favor of Shannon for a temporary restraining order (TRO) that ended the suspension against him by the school. It did not, however, curtail the lawsuit itself, which is still ongoing and examining whether or not the school acted outside the scope of its own policy in suspending Shannon rapidly.

The statement released by Illinois on Wednesday, attributed to associate chancellor Robin Kaler, addresses the active litigation.

“On Jan. 19, the United States District Court for the Central District of Illinois issued a preliminary injunction enjoining the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign from continuing its interim suspension of men’s basketball student-athlete Terrence Shannon Jr,” Kaler said in the statement. “In compliance with the Court’s Order, the University reinstate Mr. Shannon to full status immediately. This statement addresses certain questions that have arisen following the ruling. The preliminary injunction entered by the Court is a procedural step tied to an underlying lawsuit filed against the University. The lawsuit remains and active, open piece of litigation, and as such the University is limited in what it can say about it at this time.”

It continues: “As the Division of Intercollegiate Athletics (DIA) has made clear throughout the case, the nature of the allegations in this case elevated related discipline decisions beyond Coach Brad Underwood’s purview. He was not involved in the suspension decision, no in the decision to reinstate. In keeping with the Court’s directive, Coach Underwood was instructed to treat Mr. Shannon as he would any other member of the team in good standing and not limit participation based on the involved allegations.”

The statement from Kaler concludes: “Away from the basketball court, Mr. Shannon remains in both the University student conduct process and the Kansas criminal case. These ongoing processes are outside the purview of the DIA. In the event there is a resolution in either of those forums, the University and DIA would evaluate that information and take appropriate action under its policy and and consistent with the Court’s Order. While the preliminary injunction remains in effect, absent resolution of the University’s conduct process or the Kansas criminal case, the University expects Mr. Shannon to remain in full status as a University student-athlete and available for basketball practice and competition.”

More on Shannon’s case

Judge Colleen Lawless granted a temporary restraining order against the school that will allow Shannon to rejoin the team.

Shannon was originally suspended in late December 2023 by Illinois after a warrant was issued for his arrest for an alleged rape that took place in Kansas. Through his lawyers, Shannon quickly released a statement on the matter, indicating he would push back against the suspension that he claimed hadn’t followed processes laid out by the school’s own policies.

Those processes would be governed by the Office of Student Conflict Resolution, or OSCR. In her ruling, Lawless cited that the OSCR policy hadn’t been followed.

“Defendants are enjoined from suspending Plaintiff from the basketball team without at least affording him the protections of the OSCR policy,” Lawless’ ruling said, in part.

This does not prevent a future suspension for Shannon as the criminal case against him pends. But it does mean the Illinois administration will need to jump through a number of hoops to satisfy internal policies.

“The Court further finds that Plaintiff has no adequate remedy at law and will suffer irreparable harm without an injunction. The potential harm to Plaintiff outweighs any harm to the University. The public interest is not harmed by granting injunctive relief to allow for additional procedural safeguards while he is presumed innocent of the criminal charges,” Lawless said in her ruling.

Now Shannon will be allowed to play for the foreseeable future. He shared his excitement to retake the court.

“I am grateful for the opportunity to re-join my teammates and get back to work,” Shannon said on social media.

On the court, Shannon put together an impressive season after opting to return to Illinois this year. He was averaging 21.7 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game prior to his suspension late in December.

Illinois announced shortly after the decision that Shannon would be reinstated.

“We have received the Court’s Order. Effective immediately, Terrence Shannon Jr. has been reinstated to full status as a University student-athlete and will be available for basketball practice and competition,” a university spokesperson said, according to a report. “We will continue to review the Court Order and monitor the case.”