Shawn Oakman, who once expected to be drafted by the NFL, is now hoping to avoid jail time after being indicted on a sexual assault charge by a grand jury on Wednesday. He's currently free on a $25,000 bail.
Former Baylor University defensive end Shawn Oakman was indicted by a McLennan County grand jury on one count of allegedly sexually assaulting a Baylor student, according to the Waco Tribune-Herald. The alleged assault took place at his residence on April 3.
“Shawn Oakman maintains his innocence in regard to the recent accusations made against him, and he insists that the sexual relationship in this case was consensual,” Oakman’s attorney Michelle Tuegel told the Tribune-Herald.
Police searched Oakman's residence, looking for belongings the woman left behind, as well as bodily fluids and other potential DNA evidence, according to an affadavit. They seized some bedding from his bedroom.
The affidavit said that the woman met Oakman at a Baylor-area bar and he asked if she wanted to go home with him. The pair walked to Oakman’s duplex where Oakman allegedly “forced” the woman into his bedroom and “forcibly removed” the woman’s clothes before sexually assaulting her, according to an affadavit. She later was examined by a sexual assault nurse examiner.
The Tribune-Herald reports that police documents show Oakman was investigated in 2013 after his former girlfriend said that he had assaulted her. He was not arrested for that incident. He was also dismissed in 2012 from Penn State University for shoplifting and violating team rules.
ESPN reports that two other Baylor football players have been convicted of sexual assault in the last few years—One player, Tevin Elliot, was sentenced to 20 years in prison for sexually assaulting two women. Back in May, the university fired head football coach Art Briles and demoted president Ken Starr over a report saying the university had not responded appropriately to sexual assault allegations on campus. However, the Tribune-Herald reports in a separate story that the board of directors for the Big 12 conference decided on Tuesday not to punish the school or its athletic department for its issues with sexual assault, saying they were "very pleased" with the actions the school has taken after the report to address sexual assault.