Gareon Conley says that he did nothing wrong with the woman who accused him of sexual assault. Conley’s attorney says Conley did have a “consensual sexual event” with the accuser, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
Gareon Conley’s attorney says there was a ‘consensual sexual event’ with accuser
Conley was accused of sexually assaulting a woman in a Cleveland hotel on April 9.
Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
Jeanna Kelley has been covering the Falcons for The Falcoholic since 2011 and the NFL for SB Nation since 2015.
The attorney sought to clarify to Rapoport that the sexual contact was not intercourse.
The alleged assault took place in a hotel suite bathroom in Cleveland, Ohio, on April 9. The woman went to a local hospital for a sexual assault forensic examination following the incident. When police arrived on the scene, Conley had already left.
The police report contains a statement from one of the male witnesses who said that Conley never touched her. Instead, he said the woman was simply angry that Conley had kicked her out of the room. The other male witness told police that Conley and the woman were lying on a bed together, but that nothing happened between the two.
Conley’s attorney, Kevin Spellacy, arranged for Conley to speak with Cleveland police on Monday, after the conclusion of the 2017 draft. Conley was also planning to submit DNA for testing.
After the allegations went public, Conley released a statement calling them “completely false.”
“I am upset but realize that I am powerless when false accusations are made and people try to convict you in the court of public opinion,” Conley said. “It’s sad that your name can get dragged through the mud based upon untrue and malicious allegations alone.”
The accuser’s attorney, Patrick Thomas, said the high-profile nature of the case made it more difficult for her.
“As you can imagine, any victim, any woman that has to endure a sexual assault, so it’s been a very difficult few weeks at this point,” Thomas said via Cleveland.com. “It has been even more difficult with the media coverage.”
Despite the pending allegations against Conley, the Oakland Raiders selected the cornerback with the 24th overall pick in the 2017 NFL draft. Conley has not been charged with a crime at this time. If Conley is charged and indicted on felony sexual assault charges, he could face three to eight years in prison under Ohio law, according to Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio.
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