Former University of Wisconsin wide receiver Quintez Cephus filed a lawsuit against UW Tuesday over his temporary expulsion in 2018.
According to the Associated Press, the lawsuit states he was used as a “scapegoat” during a sexual assault investigation.
UW expelled Cephus in 2018 and later reinstated him in 2019 following a sexual assault investigation and trial, in which he was acquitted.
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Cephus recently completed his rookie season in the NFL after the Detroit Lions drafted him in 2020.
According to the Associated Press, the lawsuit states that at the time, Wisconsin was “seeking to push for harsh male prosecutions in order to remedy its long-standing failure to address sexual assault complaints.”
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Cephus’s lawyers said schools need to be more careful and conduct more diligent investigations when these incidents occur, rather than rushing to judgment.
UW Director of News and Media Relations Meredith McGlone said in an email statement to The Badger Herald that the university is reviewing the complaint, but is confident the incident was handled correctly.