Another day, another major development in the ongoing Quintez Cephus situation. It’s been a wild ride two years for the former Wisconsin wide receiver, who emerged as the top pass-catching threat in 2017 before being charged with a pair of sexual assaults during last year’s fall camp.
Related: Four thoughts on Quintez Cephus
A week ago, he was on trial for crimes that could have given him 40 years a prison. Now, he’s trying to get back into the school and play football for the Badgers. Wild.
But let’s regroup. Here’s a quick timeline of the ongoing Quintez Cephus situation, which needs to be updated by the day.
2017 season
Cephus steps in and proves he is a kick-ass football player and Wisconsin’s top receiving threat. He leads Badger wide receivers in yards and touchdowns as a sophomore despite missing the final month of the season with a broken leg. He is a feel-good, inspirational story given the fact his father was murdered months before the season started.
August 18, 2018
Primed for a big year, Cephus and Wisconsin have major expectations. Sports Illustrated cover. Ranked in the top 5. College Football Playoff predictions all around. Less than two weeks before the most hyped Wisconsin football season starts, Cephus announces he is taking a leave of absence from the team to focus on clearing his name of unspecified charges.
August 20, 2018
Cephus is charged with felony sexual assault of an intoxicated victim and felony sexual assault for an incident that occurred in his apartment on April 22, 2018. He is subsequently suspended indefinitely from the team.
August 22, 2018
Wisconsin wide receiver Danny Davis is suspended for the first two games of the season for being accused in the criminal complaint of taking photos of the women involved in the alleged sexual assault.
August 23, 2018
Cephus’s lawyers petition the court to dismiss the sexual assault charges.
September 11, 2018
Judge says no.
October 2018
Cephus sues the university claiming it violated his constitutional rights by pursuing a student disciplinary investigation against him, which he says is unfair because he is unable to defend himself due to an ongoing criminal investigation.
2018 season
Wisconsin stinks.
February 11, 2019
The trial is delayed to August due to late-arriving evidence.
March 2019
Cephus drops the lawsuit against the university, and lawyers say they will likely refile after the trial.
March 27, 2019
Wisconsin’s spring football roster is released without Cephus listed. The Badgers say he is no longer on the team.
Sometime
Cephus is expelled from the university after the first semester for a non-academic misconduct violation.
July 30, 2019
The trial begins.
August 2, 2019
After four days, the jury finds Cephus not guilty of the second- and third-degree sexual assault charges in less than 45 minutes of deliberation.
August 5, 2019
Cephus tells the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel he wants to go back to college and continue playing football but is not sure where.
August 6, 2019
Cephus’s attorneys announce they filed a petition for readmission to the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Also, in a big-time power move the lawyers want a response by Thursday.
Current and former Wisconsin football players voice their opinions on Twitter using the hashtag #LetQTPlay.
August 7, 2019
In a truly shocking moment, Paul Chryst actually gives somewhat of a direct response when asked about Cephus potentially returning to the Badgers football team.
“If it’s best for Q and it truly is for him, I know his teammates and I know how we feel, we would welcome him back,” Chryst said. “We talked with the guys about it, and it’s not about us. It’s what’s best for him and if that is, we absolutely would.”
This whole situation is changing by the day, and it will be interesting to watch whether the university actually makes a decision at some point this week.
We shall see.
Photo courtesy of UWBadgers.com
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