• Please be aware we've switched the forums to their own URL. (again) You'll find the new website address to be www.steelernationforum.com Thanks
  • Please clear your private messages. Your inbox is close to being full.

looks like one draft prospect is on the bubble.. but who - Conley

G Conley accusations

Joe Robbins / Getty Images Sport / Getty
Report: 1st-round prospect Gareon Conley accused of rape, denies allegations
Dan Wilkins Apr 25, 2017 1:24 PM
A woman accused NFL draft prospect Gareon Conley of raping her in a Cleveland hotel April 9, according to a police report obtained by TMZ Sports.

In the report, a 23-year-old woman says she met Conley in an elevator and went back to his hotel room. According to her account, she was asked to join him and two other people in a sexual act but declined, offering to watch instead.

The woman says Conley then unbuttoned her pants and had sex with her, though she told him to stop and said it hurt, and then kicked her out of the hotel room afterward.

In her 911 call, the woman described the man as "a black male who wouldn't take his sunglasses off and had an Ohio State tattoo on his left forearm." She said she went to the hospital and had a rape kit collected. Afterward, according to the report, she refused an interview with an officer, saying "her dignity was stripped from her in a matter of minutes," and subsequently did not speak to police.

Two friends of Conley's told police nothing happened between Conley and the woman, suggesting she was upset that she'd been sent away from the room.

Conley's attorney described the allegations as "ludicrous and ridiculous" to Cleveland19.

Police are investigating but no charges have been filed. They told TMZ that the results from the rape kit are not in.

Conley, who starred at Ohio State, has widely been considered a likely first-round pick looking ahead to Thursday's draft.
 
Sounds like the results are he-said/she-said. He has others that back up what he-said, but you have to think there is some probability that they would lie for him.

In a normal world, this would have no effect as he is guilty until proven innocent, but that doesn't work in the court of public opinion. Teams don't have to base their decision on what a court would produce and they can use information that wouldn't, normally, be allowed in court, but we haven't seen much, so far.
 
Seems very opportunistic for charges to pop up days before the draft. That's all I'm saying
 
According to the police report, one of the guys in the room, the one there with his girlfriend, went into the bathroom and they had sex (I could give his name, but why). The other guy in the room (neither were Conley) stated he was in the chair the whole time and Conley never had sex with her. After submitting for the rape kit, she refused to be interviewed by police.

But, the rape kit should tell the tale. Hell, that information should be out by now.
 
Rape kit analysis might be on a long lead time or wait list. Those things don't happen right away I think....

Does kind of suck because another 1st round talent on film could be off our board and push us down the talent board. This is going to be a weird 1st round. There are off-field, rumors, injury histories, drug tests, you name it that could cause 6-8 first round talents based on film be off our board or cause them to fall completely out of the first round.

Tim Williams, Gareon Conley, Caleb Brantley, Jabril Peppers, Ruben Foster, Joe Mixon all have baggage now.

McKinley is out through OTA's and maybe more.
Jonathan Allen could have chronic shoulder issues.
John Ross had ACL, shoulder surgery and has to check the medical boxes
Malik Hooker, Ryan Ramczyk and Corey Davis all had injuries/surgery to the point they had no off-season workouts at all.

That's almost HALF of the picks that could, based on tape alone, have been on our board or picked ahead of pick #30.

That's frustrating a bit, just from a talent perspective....
 
Last edited:
I don't mean to make light of a serious allegation, but is it usual for someone while being raped to request that the
rapist remove their sun glasses?
 
Don't want anyone from OSU
 
bkwheat28 said:
I don't mean to make light of a serious allegation, but is it usual for someone while being raped to request that the
rapist remove their sun glasses?
Click to expand...

Perhaps the rapee wanted to get a better look at his face to identify him? I wouldn't know though, I'm only speculating.
 
TMC said:
According to the police report, one of the guys in the room, the one there with his girlfriend, went into the bathroom and they had sex (I could give his name, but why). The other guy in the room (neither were Conley) stated he was in the chair the whole time and Conley never had sex with her. After submitting for the rape kit, she refused to be interviewed by police.

But, the rape kit should tell the tale. Hell, that information should be out by now.
Click to expand...

whats your take on this wait and see or drop him off the 1st round list?
 
deljzc said:
Does kind of suck because another 1st round talent on film could be off our board and push us down the talent board. This is going to be a weird 1st round. There are off-field, rumors, injury histories, drug tests, you name it that could cause 6-8 first round talents based on film be off our board or cause them to fall completely out of the first round.
Click to expand...

NFL insider says teams have an unusual concern about the top prospects in this year's draft
http://www.businessinsider.com/espn-todd-mcshay-nfl-teams-concerns-draft-prospects-character-2017-4

With the NFL draft just two days away, an unusual concern is reportedly cropping up among NFL teams.

According to ESPN's Todd McShay, teams are increasingly concerned about the "character or durability" of some of the top prospects in the draft.

That feeling may be reinforced by the news that Ohio State cornerback Gareon Conley, a projected first-round pick, was accused of sexual assault Monday night in Cleveland, according to a TMZ report.

McShay also said Florida defensive tackle Caleb Brantley was charged with battery after a woman told police he had punched her, and both Michigan safety Jabrill Peppers and Alabama linebacker Reuben Foster tested positive for diluted urine samples at the combine.

McShay also reports that teams are concerned about the people Florida State running back Dalvin Cook surrounds himself with off the field.

From McShay:

"Maybe it's recency bias, but it feels like this draft has more top players with character or durability issues than any other I can remember. ... More of my conversations than in other years seem to be centered around teams searching for the cleanest players in the draft."

In the NFL, off-field concerns can cause a player's draft stock to plummet. Miami Dolphins offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil was considered a top pick in last year's draft, but he tumbled to 13th after a video of him smoking from a gas-mask bong was leaked the night of the draft.

These concerns can vary by team, but a front office worrying about a player's character can cause a major shake-up in the draft.
Click to expand...
 
slashsteel said:
whats your take on this wait and see or drop him off the 1st round list?
Click to expand...

If you are an NFL team, you try to gather as much information as you can. As an evaluator, you still look at the film. You know the grade. If you can come to terms with this issue, it is just getting the blessing of the owner to sign off. But, you need more information. Right now, as it sits, if I cannot find out more about what happened, you don't draft the guy. It would be a PR nightmare. What if he raped her and you drafted him? You work until the day of the draft to TRY to get any information on him, but I would bet most teams have him off the board, just like they did La'el Collins. I mean, Collins wasn't even a suspect in the murder of his former girlfriend, just someone the police wanted to question. Ended up being not involved at all, he went completely undrafted. I'm not stating that one is worse than the other (rape or murder, both are horrific), but the idea of drafting a potential rapist has to shake owners to the core.
 
Cope said:
Perhaps the rapee wanted to get a better look at his face to identify him? I wouldn't know though, I'm only speculating.
Click to expand...

I get that, it struck me funny that if she was being assaulted, would she ask him to remove glasses so she could
Identify him? The article said he wouldn't remove them according to her.
 
Gareon Conley accused of rape

Sounds like he's being scammed. How far does he fall? If he tumbles wayyyy down how could the Steelers turn their back and not select him. The story sounds like bullshit. Why would she stay to watch other people having sex?


CLEVELAND - A former Ohio State University football player and top NFL Draft prospect is the subject of a rape investigation by Cleveland police.


Gareon Conley, a former cornerback at Ohio State and expected first-round pick, is accused of raping a woman at the Westin Hotel on St. Clair Avenue on April 9.

Police gathered information from Conley’s accuser — a 23-year-old woman — at the hotel early that morning. After talking to officers, she was transported to MetroHealth Medical Center, where a rape kit was administered.

The reporting officer said he tried to follow up with the alleged victim at the hospital but she “just kept saying she wanted to go home and that her dignity was stripped from her in a manner of minutes.”

Cleveland police have not filed charges against Conley in connection to the case.


A Cleveland police spokesperson told News 5 they are continuing to investigate but have not formally interviewed Conley. Police said Conley does not live in Cleveland but they are trying to track him down for an official statement.

Conley’s attorney, Kevin Spellacy, would not provide a statement to News 5, only saying: “No comment other than what’s been previously quoted.”

Spellacy spoke to Cleveland.com, calling the accusations "ridiculous and ludicrous.” He said the woman who reported the incident is "an opportunist."

"There was no sexual assault," he said. "We've cooperated fully with the police. I actually reached out to them before they even asked us."


A Cleveland police 'detail' report describes the events, according to the accuser:

The woman walked back to the hotel at 2:45 a.m. with some friends
In the elevator, they met Conley
The alleged victim decided not to go back to her room and instead go with Conley to his room
The woman noticed another man and woman inside the hotel room
“Conley asked [the alleged victim] if she wanted to have a foursome with the couple in the bathroom. [The alleged victim] said she did not want to have a foursome. She told Conley she wanted to watch the couple in the bathroom. [The alleged victim] only said this to Conley to try and avoid having sex with Conley all together. “
Conley then sexually assaulted the woman
During the act, [the alleged victim] was saying ‘no stop, it hurts!’ Afterward, Conley kicked the woman out of the room
The woman said Conley wouldn’t take his sunglasses off and had an Ohio State tattoo on his left forearm.
Officers spoke to two witnesses at the hotel. Conley was not there when police arrived.

One of the witnesses said Conley was with the woman but he never touched her. He said the woman was mad because she was kicked out of the room.

The other witness told police the two were laying in the bed together but nothing happened.


It was four years ago that similar allegations were raised against Florida State University star quarterback Jameis Winston.

On Jan. 13, 2013, a Florida State University student identified the now-NFL player as the person who raped her in December 2012.

No charges were ever filed in that case.

An April 2014 investigation by the New York Times found that’s largely because “there was virtually no investigation at all, either by the police or the university.”


The New York Times reported:

“The police did not follow the obvious leads that would have quickly identified the suspect as well as witnesses, one of whom videotaped part of the sexual encounter. After the accuser identified Mr. Winston as her assailant, the police did not even attempt to interview him for nearly two weeks and never obtained his DNA.”

After the state attorney’s office determined there wasn't enough evidence to win a conviction, the victim sued Winston.

The suit was settled last December
 
Here is a police report with the names redacted:
https://www.scribd.com/document/346365180/Gareon-Conley-Report

The victim claims that she walked to the bathroom door and was watching, Conley came up behind her, pulled a condom out of a sock, turned her towards him, unbuttoned her pants, turned her around, pulled them down, and basically bent her over. She stated she said "no stop, it hurts". After he finished, he kicked her out. Not many details in the police report, they collected evidence, but it was her bra, jacket, pants, and shirt. A rape kit was also taken into evidence. In the room, the officer noted that the room was in order, nothing out of place, and there was no evidence visible. It makes you wonder if anyone looked in a trash can for condom wrappers because IF he used a condom, I would think the wrapper would still be there....potentially. Yet, no evidence was obtained from the room.

And, he has a potential witness that states he was in the room the whole time and Conley never touched her. Unless the rape kit comes back and is damning, I just don't see how this one holds up from a legal standpoint. It just isn't good for Conley. It would be nice to have someone working in the police department that would say: "There were signs" or "There were not signs". Something. But, with nothing to go on, how do you make that leap of faith?
 
Wearing a condom, it will be tough for a rape kit to pick up any DNA.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top