This will probably not end well.
According to CBS Cleveland 19, just days away from the NFL Draft, a “highly regarded” prospect has been accused of sexual assault.
In a statement, the player’s attorney, Kevin Spellacy, acknowledges police are investigating the accusation. No charges have been filed against the player.
Here’s the bizarre part, Cleveland 19 knows the player’s name, but are not naming who the player is despite having the statement from his lawyer.
Spellacy says his client was in Cleveland with a group of friends and met a 23-year-old woman in Cleveland’s Warehouse District, at the Barley House on April 8. The next morning, April 9, at around 3:50, an off-duty police officer called for police and EMS for an alleged sexual assault victim at the downtown Westin Hotel, according to EMS and police dispatch. When police and EMS arrived, statements were taken, and the woman was transported to a local hospital. The player wasn’t there when police arrived.
WOIO has asked for the Cleveland police report several times, but hasn’t gotten it or an explanation of why an initial or completed report isn’t available nearly two weeks later:
Cleveland 19 News Cleveland, OH
According to Cleveland 19:
What’s the delay with filing the report? We’ve learned that the player himself will come to Cleveland and provide a statement to police after the NFL Draft, according to Spellacy. So far, Spellacy has provided the Cleveland Police Department with one of three statements from eyewitnesses, which, Spellacy said, show the accusations are unfounded.
Are Cleveland police dragging their feet filing this report to help the young man get drafted into the NFL? We visited Cleveland police records and found an unrelated rape report already on file that occurred the same day as the player in question’s case.
The difference? The case that was filed doesn’t involve a high-profile suspect with potentially millions to lose.
