Two members of the Ohio State University football team have been charged with rape and kidnapping in Columbus.
Defensive backs Amir Riep and Jahsen Wint, both 21 and due to be seniors next season, were arrested early Wednesday on felony charges of rape and kidnapping, according to Franklin County online jail records.
The alleged incident happened on the night of February 4 at a Columbus apartment complex where both Riep and Wint live.
A 19-year-old woman was having consensual sex with Riep, when she stopped, “stating she did not want to continue.” Detectives say Wint then entered the room and Riep, after asking if Wint could join, pushed her down by the neck and the two men allegedly raped her, Columbus police said in two criminal complaints filed in the municipal court.
Afterward, the report says Riep told the victim to say the incident was consensual on video, as he was “laughing” and she was “crying.”
“She was unsure if she should go ahead and file charges or not and that is what happens in a lot of these cases,” said Denise Alex-Bouzounis with the Columbus Police Department.
But Wint’s attorney, Samuel Shamansky, said his client is wrongfully accused.
“He’s had zero contact with the criminal justice system. He is an outstanding student and athlete. He is respectful and law-abiding,” Shamansky told CNN. “He’s cooperated completely with law enforcement and has nothing to hide.
“These false charges are outrageous and he is eager to clear his name in a court of law.”
Coach Ryan Day of Ohio State football team has dismissed Amir Riep and Jahsen Wint from the team.
Day said in a statement, “I have dismissed Amir Riep and Jahsen Wint from our football program. I am not making any statement on the criminal charges, but it is clear they did not live up to our standards and my expectations.”
