Reports: Ex-Baylor DE Shawn Oakman under investigation
Another Baylor football player has been accused of sexual assault.
According to the Waco Tribune-Herald, Waco police are investigating an allegation against a “prominent player from Baylor’s 2015 football team” after the alleged assault was reported early Sunday morning.
The Tribune-Herald declined to name the player in question “because he has not been arrested.” However, multiple outlets are reporting that the player is defensive end Shawn Oakman, an expected selection in the upcoming NFL Draft.
No charges have been filed.
The former Baylor player under investigation is Shawn Oakman. He has not been charged or arrested at this time. (1/2)
— Paul Catalina (@PaulCatalina) April 8, 2016
BREAKING: #Baylor DE and NFL draft hopeful Shawn Oakman the latest BU player under investigation for Sexual Assault. Story coming.
— Alex Dunlap (@AlexDunlapNFL) April 8, 2016
The alleged victim, a Baylor student, told police the incident took place between 2 a.m. and 3 a.m. Sunday morning. Oakman told police the sex was consensual.
From the Tribune-Herald:
A police affidavit for the search warrant said police were looking for clothing the woman left behind at the player’s residence, earrings, blood, semen, bodily fluids, hair, skin cells, DNA, bedsheets and other items.
Court documents indicate officers seized two comforters, a fitted sheet and a flat sheet from the suspect’s bedroom. The woman went to the hospital after the alleged assault and was examined by a sexual assault nurse examiner, according to the court records.
Police records say the two met at a nightclub near the university and later left to go to Oakman’s residence.
The affidavit, drafted by Waco police Detective Sam Key, said the woman met the man at a Baylor-area nightclub and he asked her if she wanted to go to his residence. They walked to the nearby duplex and the player “forced” her into a bedroom, according to the affidavit. He “forcibly removed” the woman’s clothes, “forced” her onto the bed and sexually assaulted her, the affidavit alleges. The woman fled after the assault but told police she left her panties at the duplex and lost an earring in the bedroom.
“Investigating officers briefly spoke with suspect and he admitted to only having consensual sex with victim,” the affidavit states.
The 6-foot-9, 275-pound Oakman, an NFL draft hopeful, was a star for the Bears. He had 52 tackles, 19.5 tackles for loss and 11 sacks as a junior in 2014 and tested the NFL waters before opting to return. His numbers dropped off in 2015, when he finished with 32 tackles, 14.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks.
Baylor has been criticized for the way it handles reports of sexual assault, especially after two former Baylor football players, Tevin Elliott and Sam Ukwuachu, were convicted of sexual assault.
In February, three women spoke to ESPN’s Outside The Lines claiming to have been sexually assaulted by Elliott. In each instance, the alleged victims said the school did not help them after they reported the alleged crimes. Overall, Elliott was accused of rape or assault a total of five times between October 2009 and April 2012.
Elliott is currently serving a 20-year sentence after being found guilty of sexually assaulting a former Baylor student at a party in 2012. She filed a federal Title IX lawsuit against the university last week.
In August, Ukwuachu was convicted of sexually assaulting a female Baylor soccer player in October 2013 and was sentenced to 180 days in jail and 10 years felony probation. Ukwuachu transferred to Baylor after he was dismissed by Boise State.
After Ukwuachu’s conviction, Baylor hired a Philadelphia-based law firm to conduct an extensive review of how the university responds to reports of sexual assault. The report "should be done pretty darn soon," Baylor president Ken Starr said Thursday morning, per the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
For more Baylor news, visit SicEmSports.com.
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Sam Cooper is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!