The University of Texas football program is in hot water this week after two players were arrested and charged Thursday with a felony sexual assault.
Texas wide receivers Kendall Sanders, 20, and Montrel Meander, 19, were taken into custody at the university police station after they received a call from the victim saying she had been raped.
According to reports, police arrived at her dorm around 3:43 a.m. and found the young woman under the entryway service desk, crying, barefoot, and disheveled. The woman told police that she went to Austin’s popular Sixth Street with some friends, then later agreed to go back to Meander’s dorm room where they began to have consensual sex. Soon after, Sanders knocked on the door and Meander let him in. The victim then said that Meander went into the bathroom, and Sanders forced her to have vaginal and anal sex with him.
Meander returned to join in the assault despite the victim telling them both to stop. The young woman also told police that she suspected Sanders used his phone to take a video or picture of them in the act.
First-year Longhorns coach, Charlie Strong, who will begin his first preseason training camp in two weeks at Texas, said he has suspended both players from the team.
“We’ve been monitoring and addressing the situation with Kendall and Montrel since it was brought to our attention,” Strong said in a statement released by the school. “It’s been made clear to everyone on our team that treating women with respect is one of our core values, and I’m extremely disappointed that two young men in our program have been accused of not doing that.”
Both players were interviewed separately by detectives, but according to an arrest affidavit, Sanders and Meander texted each other during earlier interviews to “get their story straight.” The players allowed police to look at pictures on their phones, and detectives said they found at least one photo of the victim.
University of Texas President Bill Powers also released a statement regarding the incident:
“The university campus must be an environment free from all sexual assault and violence. At the University of Texas at Austin, student safety is our top priority and we are involved with the national efforts to prevent a culture of sexual violence from taking root on campuses. We educate all of our students about preventing sexual assault and vigorously investigate all allegations so we can take the appropriate action.”
The sexual assault charges carry prison terms of two to 20 years. Attorneys for both players failed to immediately return request for comments to the media.
SOURCE: Daily Mail | PHOTO CREDIT: Travis County Sheriff’s Office
