Oakland Raiders first-round pick Gareon Conley will not be charged in connection to a rape allegation made against him in April.
Michael C. O'Malley, Cuyahoga County (Ohio) Prosecutor, issued the following statement regarding the case:
After a thorough investigation by the Cleveland Police Department, the facts and circumstances surrounding the allegations of sexual assault against Gareon Conley were presented to a Cuyahoga County Grand Jury. The Grand Jury returned a No Bill on all possible charges.
Conley released a statement on the decision Tuesday:
I am thankful that this burden has been lifted as I enter training camp with my new teammates and organization. I am thankful to the City of Cleveland and the Cleveland police for reaching a conclusion based on the facts, not speculation. I am thankful to the Raiders organization for believing in me, drafting me and supporting me. Finally, I am thankful to my agent and my team for never relenting in their defense of me as a person and client.
The past few months have been extremely trying for me and my family. Although I was the target of malicious and false accusations, I do realize, however, that I could've exercised better judgment and that there are still lessons for me to take away and grow from.
I look forward to earning my role with the Raiders and hopefully rewarding them for believing in me.
"He is vindicated. He looks forward to contributing in the National Football League," Conley's attorney, Kevin Spellacy, told NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport on Monday.
A league spokesperson issued the following statement on the matter to Rapoport: "We will follow up to gather as much information as we can."
Conley, 22, had vehemently denied the allegations. He told Cleveland police in May he had a consensual sexual encounter with the woman who accused him of rape and denied assaulting her, Spellacy told Rapoport.
Selected No. 24 overall by the Raiders in the 2017 NFL Draft, Conley signed his rookie contract with the team last week. Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie said after the draft he was comfortable choosing Conley.
"I understand the issues involved," McKenzie told The MMQB. "But we did our research, and we read all the reports, and we did more than our due diligence. After all the information we got, we were comfortable with making this choice and confident in who this player is."
Conley is not subject to NFL discipline since the charge stems from an incident that occurred prior to the draft.
