Ohio State cornerback Gareon Conley, considered a top defensive prospect in this week's NFL draft, is being investigated by police after he was accused of rape by a woman earlier this month, Cleveland police confirmed to NFL.com.
Conley, 21, has not been charged or arrested in connection to the alleged incident, according to Cleveland Police Dept. spokeswoman Jennifer Ciaccia. No warrant has been issued and the department's sex crimes and child abuse units are investigating, Ciaccia added. A spokeswoman with the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor's Office told NFL.com that the police have not turned over any information related to the investigation.
Conley has not been interviewed yet by police. Investigators have reached out to him and are in the process of scheduling an interview with him, Ciaccia said.
Speaking to WOIO-TV in Cleveland, Kevin Spellacy, Conley's attorney, described the allegations as "ludicrous and ridiculous."
Conley has decided not to attend the draft in Philadelphia, a source informed of the situation told NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport on Tuesday.
According to the police report, the alleged incident happened at a hotel in downtown Cleveland around 3 a.m. ET on April 9. The victim told police she had been raped by Conley in a room at the hotel. Conley was not at the hotel when police arrived.
The victim told police she met Conley while with some friends in a hotel elevator. She said she decided not to stay with her friends and went with Conley back to his room. A man and woman were already in the room when the victim arrived. The couple later went into the bathroom, per the report.
After being propositioned, the victim said she didn't want to take part. She told police that she didn't want to have sex with Conley and felt she could avoid that by agreeing to watch the other couple. A short time later, the victim told police Conley grabbed her and raped her. She said she told Conley to stop.
After arriving and talking to the victim, police interviewed two men who were with Conley and the victim earlier. They said they didn't see anything happen between Conley and the victim. One of the witnesses told police he saw Conley and the victim laying on a bed at one point in the night, but added "nothing happened."
The report states the victim was transported to the hospital for treatment and to be administered a rape kit.
Conley is considered a potential first-round selection in the 2017 NFL Draft, which begins Thursday.
