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Verdict reached in rape case involving former Tennessee players
By SDS Staff
Published:
A verdict was reached in the rape case involving former Tennessee football players A.J. Johnson and Michael Williams.
After less than 2 hours of deliberations on the fourth day of the trial, Johnson and Williams were found not guilty on all counts.
BREAKING: the jury has found A. J. Johnson and Michael Williams NOT GUILTY on all counts.
— Cole Sullivan (@cole_sull) July 27, 2018
Johnson and Williams were accused of aggravated rape for allegedly assaulting a woman at an off-campus party in November 2017. The players were suspended from all activities by then-Tennessee coach Butch Jones.
The accuser claimed that Johnson and Williams “were like animals” during her testimony on Wednesday. The defense claimed that their 2014 sexual encounter was “consensual.”
Johnson was a first-team All-SEC player in 2013. He returned to Tennessee instead of declaring for the NFL draft after his junior season, but Johnson didn’t attend the NFL combine and subsequently wasn’t drafted because of his pending charge.
Saturday Down South reports and comments on the news around the Southeastern Conference as well as larger college football topics.
