Baylor defensive end and potential 2016 NFL Draft selection Shawn Oakman has been arrested as the result of a sexual assault investigation. The Waco Police Department released a statement detailing Oakman being served with two search warrants, the results of which led to a warrant for his arrest. He was taken into custody and transported to the county jail.
The Waco Tribune-Herald broke the story about a sexual assault investigation against a "prominent player from Baylor University's 2015 football team," but did not name the player due to the lack of an arrest being made.
The investigation stems from a claim by a fellow student, who says the player assaulted her on Sunday. The suspect told Waco police that the sexual contact was consensual, according to the report. The police obtained a search warrant looking for various things at the player's residence and removed two comforters, a fitted sheet and a flat sheet from the suspect's bedroom.
In the affidavit drafted by the police, the woman said she met the man at a nightclub and he asked her if she wanted to accompany him home. When they got there, he reportedly forced her into a bedroom and sexually assaulted her, she alleged. She said she left her panties and an earring at the suspect's residence.
Shawn Oakman search warrant affidavit (1/2) #Baylor pic.twitter.com/bDogwIrtdY
— Alex Dunlap (@AlexDunlapNFL) April 8, 2016
Shawn Oakman search warrant affidavit (2/2) #Baylor pic.twitter.com/N6mXvNNXdh
— Alex Dunlap (@AlexDunlapNFL) April 8, 2016
The investigation is still ongoing. Baylor spokeswoman Lori Fogleman said the school will cooperate with any investigation going forward. Oakman was expected to be a mid-round pick in the upcoming NFL Draft after completing his time at Baylor.
Oakman was a transfer player, who was dismissed from Penn State by former head coach Bill O'Brien. He was caught stealing a sandwich from a woman. It's more likely that the confrontation with her -- he admitted to grabbing her wrist -- was a larger concern.
Baylor has had two players convicted of sexual assault in the last two years. In 2014, former Bears defensive end Tevin Elliot was sentenced to 20 years on two counts of sexual assault that occurred in 2012.
Another Baylor football player, Sam Ukwuachu, was found guilty of sexual assault in 2013. The school failed to do its due diligence in accepting Ukwuachu's transfer from Boise State, where he had a history of violence against women.
In March, a former Baylor student who was the victim of Elliot's sexual assault filed suit the university for a pattern of negligence and a violation of Title IX laws.