When the University of Louisville’s Cardinals announced late last week that star guard Chris Jones had been dismissed from the team, several unofficial reasons emerged. The most prominent was that Jones had sent a threatening text message to a woman who had reportedly ransacked his apartment.
What was clear is that Louisville coach Rick Pitino was done with the senior guard from Memphis, Tenn., who had been averaging 13.7 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.6 assists, according to ESPN.
"He was dismissed from our team and he's not coming back," Pitino said shortly after Jones' release.
Now the Louisville Courier-Journal reports that Jones has been charged with raping a woman and sodomizing another. According to the Courier-Journal, the former Louisville guard turned himself in to police Thursday morning after a warrant was issued for his arrest, and Jones has reportedly pleaded not guilty.
According to the newspaper, the alleged attack took place Saturday night, and one of the victims identified Jones as her attacker. According to reports, the alleged victims are two young women, one 19 and the other 20.
ESPN notes that Jones was suspended from the team Feb. 17 after an incident with a former girlfriend that included a threatening text message sent by Jones. Jones was reinstated on the team after he and the woman, who is not one of the alleged victims, met with the university's dean of discipline, according to ESPN.
Jones played that Saturday against Miami but was let go from the team the next day. The university did not state why Jones was released from the team, but a source close to the school told ESPN that Pitino was willing to let Jones play with restrictions that included a curfew. The source believes that Jones broke curfew, which led to his dismissal.
Read more at ESPN and the Louisville Courier-Journal.