The Oklahoma Supreme Court ruled Monday to allow the university to enforce its one-year suspension of junior linebacker Frank Shannon, according to The Oklahoman.
Shannon was suspended after an alleged sexual assault in January when the school found him in violation of the Title IX sexual misconduct policy.
He had been granted a stay by District Court Judge Tracy Shumacher to remain enrolled in school and on the football team. The State Supreme Court ruled that the stay should never have been granted, according to The Oklahoman's report.
The linebacker led the team in tackles in 2013 and stood in silent protest on the sidelines during the team's opening game against Louisiana Tech.
He and his lawyer, Aletia Timmons, maintained that the university had no grounds to suspend Shannon when no criminal charges were filed against him.
The university released the following statement on Shannon on August 11 and Catherine Bishop, OU’s Vice President of Public Affairs, said nothing in it has changed following Monday’s court ruling.
“The final decision of the internal disciplinary process was suspension of the student for one year. Federal privacy law and other legal considerations prohibit the university from discussing the case further.”
Contrary to the statement, Shannon still appears on the Oklahoma football roster and at his Monday press conference coach Bob Stoops said the issue hadn’t been resolved.
The athletic department declined when asked to comment on the situation.
