Police investigating rape allegation against LSU football player

Key Points:

• LSU football player Damien Shanklin, previously suspended and then reinstated in a Title IX case for "forcible rape," is now under criminal investigation by campus police and the district attorney for alleged rape of a female student last fall.
• The accuser, Kendall Francis, publicly detailed her allegations in a TikTok video and has retained an attorney, expressing frustration with LSU's handling of the case and the reinstatement of Shanklin on campus.
• An administrative law judge reduced Shanklin's initial one-year suspension to probation, allowing him to remain enrolled and participate in activities despite upholding the finding of responsibility for forcible rape.
• Text messages and police reports reveal conflicting accounts of the incident, with Francis describing nonconsensual sex lasting about 20 seconds, while Shanklin claims he stopped once she asked; the case includes concerns about Francis's mental health and a $1,000 payment from Shanklin to her.
• LSU maintains it followed Title IX procedures properly, but advocacy groups and Francis's representatives criticize the university for inadequate support and protections for the survivor, highlighting ongoing scrutiny of LSU's handling of sexual assault complaints amid past institutional failures.