Wisconsin Receiver Cephus Acquitted of Assault

After being brought up on sexual assault charges and expelled from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, star receiver Quintez Cephus was acquitted this week and is seeking to be readmitted to the UW.

According to the Journal Sentinel, Cephus’ attorneys are seeking a decision from the school by Thursday.

A jury this week took just 45 minutes to find Cephus, 21, of Macon, Georgia, not guilty of second- and third-degree sexual assault for alleged assaults of two women on April 22, 2018, at Cephus’ apartment near the UW-Madison campus. Cephus told the jury that sex with both women was consensual. 

Cephus was suspended last August, which is in keeping with the UW’s Student-Athlete Discipline Policy, after the county district attorney’s office filed the charges. He was then expelled after the first semester.

For his part, Cephus said he was happy with the decision.

“I’ve had a lot of people here supporting me and my family. I’ve learned a lot through this situation,” he told the Wisconsin State Journal. “And I know this sounds crazy, but I think you grow through what you go through, and I’ve been able to grow a lot.”

A number of current and former UW players took to social media Tuesday to lobby for Cephus’ return to the UW and the team.

"Now that this nonsense is over," tweeted Dare Ogunbowale, who is vying for a roster spot with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, "there's no reason for him not to be on the field with the boys this season."

Head coach Paul Chryst said last Friday before the acquittal that the ordeal affected the team.

“You have a really well-respected, appreciated player going through something,” Chryst said. “It was on a lot of guys’ minds. It has to. As far as who he was and what they felt about him and what he meant to them — he was a connector. He crossed over into all the groups. He impacted a lot of people.”