Prosecutors are calling it rape via cell phone, charging University of Minnesota cornerback Dominic Jones with third-degree criminal sexual conduct on a drunk, unconscious woman.
Bail was just set at 25,000 as Jones entered a not guilty plea.
A friend of Jones had taken a video of part of the assault on his cell phone at the apartment that night back in April. The file was deleted, but forensic experts examining the phone were able to recover a portion of the deleted file.
In the video, the female appears to be unresponsive. Per the criminal complaint, her blood-alcohol level was estimated at least 0.30 percent by a doctor who reviewed police reports and witness statements. That's three times the legal limit.
Prosecutors said the male identified in the video is in fact Jones.
A junior strong safety from Columbus, Ohio, Jones, 20, has been called one of the Gophers' best defensive players. He's started 20 straight games over the last two seasons and gained the reputation of a fiery competitor with a knack for making big hits despite being just 5 feet 8.
READ THE CRIMINAL COMPLAINT HERE
Jones was in court today and will reportedly have prominent defense attorney Earl Grey defending him.
What's even more bizarre about this case is former Gopher and convicted felon Robert McField is the one who brought the victim and her friend to the University Village apartment. Court documents are claiming it was actually McField who gave the victim eight shot glasses of straight vodka.The burning question, however, is why was McField still living in University housing? The month before the party, he had pleaded guilty to two felony counts of armed robbery in Missouri.
McField is currently on lockdown for commiting those offences.
The university had known for months about the allegations, and McField had actually been kicked off the football team in October because of them. It was not until several weeks after the party that McField was finally kicked out of school as well.
The University of Minnesota's attorney Mark Rotenberg said, "There was a period of time between when this student plead guilty to the crimes and the date to which we got him out of the University. That time lag was unfortunate."
Three other players -- Alex Daniels, E.J. Jones and Keith Massey, Jones' half-brother -- are still suspects in this case months after being arrested and then released. All four players being named in the case have been suspended from the football team.
VIDEO REPORT ON THE GOPHER FOOTBALL SCANDAL
If these young brothers engaged in criminal misconduct, they need to be held accountable. Too bad if these Black men are in college -- you do the crime, you do the time!
That said, this story is heartbreaking. All we can hope for family, is that justice is served!