UW-Madison’s former receiver Quintez Cephus was found not guilty on both counts of second- and third-degree sexual assault after 30 minutes of deliberation, a four-day trial and a year-long football suspension.
Despite public dismay regarding the make-up of the jury — eight white women and six white men — the defense team was able to successfully tell Cephus’ story.
During his testimony, Cephus argued that the women had engaged in consensual sex due to a number of factors, like making plans to hang out after they left the bar, taking off their own clothing once getting to his apartment and asking to have a sleepover.
Cephus faced backlash in trial regarding a photo taken during the threesome by his teammate, Danny Davis, who was called to testify by the prosecution. He said that since he had never been in a threesome before and wanted Davis to see, Davis took a photo of one of the girls who was naked.
Cephus initially told police that he was the one who took the photo to protect his teammate. Davis was suspended for the first two games of this football season.
However, Cephus further justified his overall participation in the incident by stating he drove one of the women home to Sellery Residence Hall after they had sex to ensure her safety.
The two 18-year-old women involved initially told the police that on the night of the incident on April 22, 2018, they were both too intoxicated to consent to sex after leaving the Double U bar. One mentioned that she did not know how she got back to her dorm room that night.
Cephus’ future in football is currently unknown, but he said he had a lot of support which helped him grow through what he’s gone through.
