Rasheed Sulaimon Accused Of Sexual Assault In 2013-14 Season

While it is unknown why Rasheed Sulaimon was dismissed from Duke a month ago, the student ran newspaper The Chronicle has released information about prior sexual assault allegations levied at Rasheed in the 2013-14 season.

According to yesterday’s report, the athletic department became aware of these alleged assaults in March 2014: nearly a year before Mike Krzyzewski dismissed Sulaimon for being “unable to consistently live up to the standards required to be a member of our program.”

As for the actual allegations, The Chronicle reported two separate incidents; both were vocal about the accusations, but refused to file a complaint through proper channels due to fear of repercussions from Duke’s fan base.

On top of this, the article states that a former anonymous Duke basketball affiliate was the one who contacted the team psychologist after learning of the incidents. And following that, the accusations were brought to the attention of Krzyzewski and his coaching staff. “[But] nothing happened after months and months of talking about [the sexual assault allegations]. The University administration knew. Kevin White knew, Mike Cragg knew.”

According to the report, “even if a student chooses not to file a complaint… the University is legally obligated by Title IX to look into any indications of sexual assault.”

In response to this, Mike Krzyzewski has declined to comment on the issue and the university has released a statement Monday:

“Duke is prohibited by law from disclosing publicly any particular student’s confidential education records. The university takes immediate action when it receives reports of alleged sexual misconduct or other violations of the student conduct code, which includes investigation and referral to the Student Conduct Office for review in a timely manner as required by law. Duke also takes every possible action internally to ensure anyone who raises a complaint of sexual misconduct is supported and the campus community is safe.”

Again, no one is certain why Sulaimon was dismissed over a month ago: once a high sought after prospect, he saw his role diminish as a junior — becoming predominately an off-the-bench player. Prior to his dismissal, he averaged 7.5 PPG, 2 RPG and 1.8 APG in the 2014-15 season.

Article by Anthony Falco