Louisiana State University campus police and the East Baton Rouge District Attorney's Office are investigating LSU football player Damien Shanklin after a female student requested criminal charges over an alleged sexual assault in a dorm room last fall.
Kendall Francis asked law enforcement in September 2026 to open a criminal case against Shanklin, whom the LSU Office of Civil Rights and Title IX had previously found responsible for forcible rape.
Campus police confirmed the matter remains an active investigation, while the district attorney's office said it is collecting evidence.
Penalty Reduced After Appeal
The university initially issued a one-year suspension and campus ban against Shanklin in July.
Administrative Law Judge Janet Waguespack reduced the penalty on Aug.
25 to four semesters of probation without campus or athletic restrictions, enabling him to remain enrolled and participate in football activities.
Attorneys Grant Willis and Morgan H. Johnson, representing Shanklin, maintained their client's innocence in a statement provided to ESPN on Thursday.
"What has been portrayed on social media and in the news thus far, is not a full account of all of the facts and circumstances surrounding this situation," they said.
Defense counsel added that Shanklin will refrain from public comment until the criminal investigation concludes, emphasizing his intent to clear his name.
"Mr. Shanklin looks forward to the day when all information surrounding this incident is brought to light and becomes public knowledge," they said.
In her written decision modifying the penalty, Waguespack characterized the initial full suspension as overly severe given the absence of prior disciplinary infractions.
"Respondent's behavior, although nonconsensual, did not exhibit a deliberate disregard for the dignity and autonomy of Complainant but was instead an error in judgment," she wrote.
Francis publicly detailed her experience in a TikTok video posted Sept. 14, describing how she felt unsafe upon discovering the suspension had been lifted.
"I ended up reading the appeal in my class, and during the letter, it said that he was still responsible for rape, but he's able to play football, join orgs, and everything like that.
And so that made my anxiety really, really bad because I don't want to face this person," she said.
She criticized the institution's handling of the disciplinary process regarding student-athletes.
"Now I am just trying to speak on my story because LSU does really protect their athletes, especially their football players," she said.
Advocate Eugene Collins, representing Francis, stated that she turned to law enforcement after the university failed to provide prior notice of the reduced disciplinary action, leaving online classes as her sole alternative to avoid contact on campus.
Title IX and police reports indicate both students agreed initial contact on Oct.
18, 2025, was consensual, but Francis stated nonconsensual intercourse continued for about 20 seconds after she requested him to stop.
Shanklin reported stopping once she requested it, subsequently sending $1,000 via a cash app after she asked about financial settlements to withhold a police report.
Shanklin played in five games during the 2025 season as a freshman.
