Former University of Louisville men’s basketball player Chris Jones pleaded not guilty to charges of rape and sodomy in Jefferson County District Court on Thursday.
Jones was then taken away in handcuffs and booked. Unlike his two co-defendants, however, he was released on home incarceration in lieu of a $25,000 bond by Judge Sheila Collins.
A warrant was issued for Jones’ arrest Wednesday, three days after an incident involving two women and two other men was initially reported to police.
The alleged sexual assaults occurred Saturday night, after Jones helped the Cardinals rally for a victory over Miami (Fla.). The 5-foot-10 point guard, who had been suspended for last Wednesday’s game at Syracuse for “violation of team rules” (which was reported to be a threatening text message to a girl he had been in an on-going relationship with), was dismissed from the squad Sunday.
The UofL Athletic Department issued a statement on Jones’ dismissal Thursday morning.
“On Feb. 17 (last Tuesday) while at a team dinner, coach Rick Pitino was informed of a text message sent by Chris Jones to another individual,” said the release from Senior Associate Athletic Director for Media Relations/Sports Information Director Kenny Klein. “Chris was removed from the dinner table (and) immediately suspended from the team. After the matter was addressed within the university and Chris surrendered his cell phone, he was permitted to return to the team on Feb. 19 (last Thursday) with strict internal disciplinary measures attached, among which included a curfew. It was discovered shortly after noon on Feb. 22 (Sunday) that Chris had violated a curfew and there were other accusations, without knowing specifics. At that time, Chris was immediately dismissed from the team.
“While Chris is no longer a member of our team, we understand that the allegations are very serious. While we cannot comment on this ongoing investigation, we certainly expect our student-athletes to uphold certain standards, including their treatment of others. We have great respect for the legal process and our university procedures and we will cooperate as requested with this matter.”
Jones averaged 13.7 points, four rebounds and 3.6 assists per game in 26 contests for UofL this season.
Photo courtesy University of Louisville Men’s Basketball Facebook Page
