Wide receiver Quintez Cephus is lobbying to be reinstated by the University of Wisconsin after being found not guilty of sexual assault.
Cephus and his attorneys held a media conference Monday detailing their bid to get the 21-year-old player reinstated. Eighteen Badgers players attended the event as a show of support. Players also have been lobbying on social media for the university to allow Cephus to return.
Eighteen Wisconsin football players showed up to support Quintez Cephus during a news conference that implored the school chancellor to reinstate him. Their message? “Please do what is right and fair.” https://t.co/1efqUY5X9b
— Jesse Temple (@jessetemple) August 13, 2019
Cephus was suspended from the team last August, and expelled by the university last semester, after being accused of sexually assaulting two women in April 2018. On Aug. 2, a jury found him not guilty of one count of second-degree sexual assault of an intoxicated victim and one count of third-degree sexual assault.
Cephus's legal team on Monday accused the university of "slow walking" his bid for readmission, and attorneys said that despite handing over more than 250 pages of documents and other evidence from the case, the university is seeking more transcripts, a process they say could take three months to fulfill.
The Badgers open their season Aug. 30 at South Florida. Cephus caught 30 passes for 501 yards and six touchdowns as a sophomore in 2017.
The university released a statement saying it is committed to performing a "complete and thorough review" of all petitions for readmission. The statement said the school had not yet made a decision.
Wisconsin players shared a letter Monday addressed to administration officials, saying in part, "Your decision can alleviate a racial tension felt by your students. You get to decide whether the University of Wisconsin is comfortable with where they are or choose to move forward for the betterment of the past, present and future Badgers."
Cephus sued the university last year to try to stop his expulsion, but withdrew the suit ahead of his trial. He said he's thankful for the support of Badgers players.
"I’ve had a chance to show my real character outside of sports, and I took that very serious," he said. "It was ups and downs, but my brothers supported me the whole time. I’m very thankful. The circumstances were very tough, but I am thankful.”
Wisconsin head coach Paul Chryst told reporters last week he "would love to get (Cephus) back," as long as that was best for Cephus.