Junior receiver Quintez Cephus, who announced he is taking an indefinite leave of absence from the Badgers football team Saturday, has now been formally suspended from the team for a violation of the Student-Athlete Discipline Policy, according to a Monday afternoon statement from UW Athletic Director Barry Alvarez.
Early Monday, Dane County District Attorney Ismael Ozanne filed a pair of sexual assault charges against Cephus related to incidents with two women that occurred in Cephus’s apartment on the night of April 22, 2018. The receiver is facing charges of third-degree sexual assault and second-degree sexual assault of an intoxicated victim, both of which are felonies.
According to the statement released by the Madison Police Department, officers initially met with a woman who had been taken to an emergency room and provided them with Cephus’s name and address. The officers later met with Cephus and obtained his statement, in which they learned the identity of a second woman who also said she had been sexually assaulted by Cephus in his apartment.
According to the Wisconsin State Journal, sophomore receiver Danny Davis was also present for the incident but is not currently facing charges.
Cephus has maintained his innocence and, in Saturday’s statement, called the incidents part of a “consensual relationship.”
According to the athletic department’s policy, Cephus will be unable to participate in practices or games for the duration of his suspension, but can still access academic support, medical assistance and use team facilities, including the weight room.
