A lawyer representing OU linebacker Frank Shannon told reporters on Friday the university had failed his client, making him a “scapegoat.”
Attorney Aletia Timmons said Shannon would continue his fight against a one-year suspension.
“(Shannon) has been painted in a way that is in no way how he is,” Aletia Timmons said in an afternoon press conference at her office.
Timmons said Shannon would would “stand on the the sideline in silent protest” in Saturday’s game.
Shannon was not listed on the depth chart released Monday, and Sooners coach Bob Stoops indicated Shannon would not play.
Timmons said some universities were “going overboard” in Title IX sexual assault investigative mandates.
When Timmons spoke with Shannon early on, the topic of Shannon transferring came up.
“I’m not running,” Shannon told her. “I’m not going to be branded as a rapist.”
Shannon appealed a university suspension after a Title IX investigation into an alleged sexual assault. The Cleveland County DA refused to file charges. Shannon’s attorney appealed the school decision to the district court, which issued a stay of the suspension, but OU appealed that to the Supreme Court, which hasn’t ruled on whether the district judge has jurisdiction over the matter.
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