Quintez Cephus Sues Wisconsin: Feels Used as 'Scapegoat'
Detroit Lions wide receiver Quintez Cephus is suing his alma mater, the University of Wisconsin.
In a lawsuit filed Tuesday against the university, Cephus alleged that he was used as a "scapegoat" during a sexual assault investigation that resulted in him being temporarily expelled from the school.
Cephus is seeking unspecified damages as part of the lawsuit, accusing the defendants of violating his due process rights and of violating Title IX provisions.
Cephus was first suspended from the Badgers' football team in August of 2018, and then was later expelled from the university for violating what is termed as the school's "nonacademic misconduct code." This resulted from a Title IX investigation that ensued after his arrest on second-and-third-degree sexual assault charges.
The criminal charges came to be as the result of an incident involving Cephus and two 18-year-old Wisconsin students at Cephus’ Madison, Wisc., apartment in April of 2018.
Cephus took part in sexual acts with the two female students, who accused Cephus of raping them. Cephus, meanwhile, said the sex was consensual.
The aforementioned Title IX investigation of Cephus and the incident found that he “more likely than not” sexually assaulted the women.
He was eventually acquitted of the charges, however, and allowed to re-enroll in the university and return to the team in time for the 2019 season.
He finished the '19 campaign with 901 receiving yards and seven scores.
Then, in April of last year, the Wisconsin product was drafted by the Lions in the fifth round (No. 166 overall).
Raj Mehta, USA TODAY Sports
He amassed 20 receptions for 349 yards and two touchdowns in 13 games during his rookie season.
According to the Associated Press' Steve Megargee, "Cephus’ lawyer, Andrew Miltenberg, said he’s spoken with NFL agents and draft analysts who believe Cephus would have been drafted earlier if not for his expulsion."
Miltenberg added, “He (Cephus) wants to set a precedent, so that schools are more careful and more diligent in how they proceed on these cases and not just sort of rushing ahead to judgment when they know, for a fact, they don’t have all the evidence."
SI All Lions will keep you up to date on any further news that comes out regarding this lawsuit.
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