NORMAN, Okla. – The Cleveland County District Attorney announced that an OU football player will not be facing charges following allegations of sexual assault.
Last week, a woman filed a petition for a protective order against 21-year-old Rodney Anderson, claiming that he raped her.
According to court documents, the woman claims that she met Anderson while out drinking on Nov. 16. She says that she initially planned to take an Uber home, but Anderson’s friends were adamant about him driving her home.
She reportedly told officials that all she remembered of that night was kissing Anderson and vomiting. But, on the weekend of Dec. 2, she said she started talking to her friends and remembered that Anderson forced himself on her.
A police report was filed with the Norman Police Department on Dec. 4. In the protective order, the woman said she was scared for her safety because the alleged rape “happened in my apartment.”
After the allegations came to light, Anderson’s attorney, Derek Chance, released the following statement on his behalf:
“Mr. Anderson first learned of Ms. ********’s request for a civil protective order late yesterday evening. Mr. Anderson is shocked and disturbed by Ms. *******’s claims. The allegations are patently false. Mr. Anderson did not, nor would he ever, force himself on any woman.
There are undoubtedly true victims of sexual assault, for whom Mr. Anderson carries a tremendous amount of compassion. However, there are those accused of sexual assault which they unequivocally did not commit- as is the case for Mr. Anderson. It is incumbent on our community to reserve judgment and to treat this allegation on its own merit. We are confident that when authorities have all of the information surrounding this circumstance, Mr. Anderson will be completely exonerated of any wrongdoing, and he looks forward to the conclusion of this investigation so he can focus on his obligations as a student-athlete.”
Chance says that Anderson also submitted to a polygraph test to prove his innocence.
“Anderson denied the allegations, and the results of the polygraph examination, in my opinion, were Not Indicative of Deception; he was not practicing deception in his replies to relevant questions asked of him on this test. My professional training and experience lead me to the conclusion that these results are accurate,” a statement from Bill Brown, the polygraph examiner, read.
On Thursday, Cleveland County District Attorney Greg Mashburn announced that they will not be pressing charges against Anderson in the case following an investigation.
During a news conference, investigators with the district attorney’s office say that information provided to them by the Norman Police Department made them believe that no charges were warranted.
Investigators say that they received information from some of the alleged victim’s friends and text messages that supposedly disproved her story.
Mashburn says that he does not believe the alleged victim had any malicious intent, and says that the alleged victim may have felt that things went too far, but he says she never expressed that to Anderson.
Anderson’s attorney released the following statement after the announcement:
“We appreciate the comprehensive investigation by the Norman Police Department, and the District Attorney’s through consideration of the evidence. The investigation reveals what we have maintained, Mr. Anderson is innocent of these allegations. Mr. Anderson and his family are very much looking forward to a final resolution so that they can put this matter behind them and Mr. Anderson can focus on his obligations as a student-athlete.”
A hearing regarding the protective order is still scheduled for Dec. 18.
