Due to a court order that went in his favor, Terrence Shannon Jr. is now officially reinstated to the University of Illinois. Effective immediately, the Illini men’s basketball leading scorer and All-American candidate is eligible to both practice and play. He had been indefinitely suspended since Dec. 27, having been charged with the crime of rape in the state of Kansas. That case remains ongoing.
Below you will see the official public statement from Shannon himself:
I am grateful for the opportunity to re-join my teammates and get back to work.
— Terrence Shannon Jr (@Sn1per_T) January 19, 2024
The official University of Illinois statement reads as follows: “Effective immediately, Terrence Shannon Jr. has been reinstated to full status as a University student-athlete and will be available for basketball practice and competition. We will continue to review the Court Order and monitor the case.”
Another statement, via UI spokeswoman Robin Kaler reads: “We have received the Court’s Order. Effective immediately, Terrence Shannon Jr. has been reinstated to full status as a University student-athlete and will be available for basketball practice and competition.”
This is a huge win for TJ, but it raises all kinds of ethical questions, about student-athlete rights, and the ability of schools to discipline them. We’ll save that discussion for another time and space.
Up next for Illini basketball is a Sunday afternoon home game against Rutgers. Will he play? If so, who makes the call- Coach Brad Underwood or Athletic Director Josh Whitman? While yes, it is Underwood’s team, his boss is Whitman. So does the buck stop with him?
Even if it is up to Underwood, Whitman needs to make sure the optics on this are right, and that they make it seem like this is his call.
While this is a very treacherous situation, and a difficult road to tread…well, this is why Whitman and Underwood get paid all that money.
The Illini, so far, have gone 4-2 without TSJ, having beaten FDU, Northwestern, Michigan and Michigan State. Their two losses without TJ were to Maryland and Purdue.
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He’s written for numerous publications, including the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. He regularly appears on NTD News and WGN News Now, while writing for the International Baseball Writers Association of America. You can follow the website on Twitter.