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Myron Medcalf, ESPN Staff Writer
Kansas guard Arterio Morris has been suspended from the program, a school spokesman confirmed to ESPN late Friday.
The Kansas City Star reported Friday that his suspension comes amid a University of Kansas police investigation of an alleged sexual assault last month at McCarthy Hall, the dorm on campus where the men’s basketball team lives. Although Morris is not named in the incident report, per the Star, a source told the newspaper that Morris is the subject of “an allegation.”
“I can confirm that Arterio Morris has been suspended from the program,” Daniel Berk, a Kansas athletics spokesman, told ESPN by phone. “That’s all we can confirm.”
Last month, an 18-year-woman from Missouri went to police and reported an alleged rape in the men’s basketball dorm.
Morris has not been arrested, and the district attorney’s office in Lawrence told the Star that Morris’ case “has not been presented to our office for charging consideration.” Three other players — Johnny Furphy, Elmarko Jackson and Nick Timberlake — were mentioned in the incident report as witnesses and “other,” respectively, but a source told the newspaper they were not “remotely” involved in the incident.
Morris’ suspension comes one day after he entered a plea deal that canceled an October trial that had been set for a misdemeanor assault charge against him. Last summer, he was arrested after an ex-girlfriend accused him of assaulting her following a breakup prior to his freshman season at Texas.
Morris, who averaged 4.6 points per game for the Longhorns last season, joined the Kansas program after contributing to the Longhorns’ Elite Eight run. In high school, Morris was a five-star player ranked 18th among ESPN’s top 100 recruits.
Kansas coach Bill Self did not respond to text messages from ESPN seeking comment Friday night.
The Jayhawks are set to enter the 2023-24 season as the No. 1 team in every reputable preseason poll after adding former Michigan star Hunter Dickinson from the transfer portal. Morris was expected to strengthen the team’s guard rotation, which is anchored by Dajuan Harris Jr.