Former Washington Running Back Derrius Guice Accused of Raping Two Women

Nearly two weeks after he was released by the Washington Football Team over disturbing charges of strangulation and assault and battery of his girlfriend, former LSU star Derrius Guice has been accused of rape by two former students who attended the same school.

According to USA Today, two women allege that Guice raped them mere months apart in 2016 as he was blossoming into a star contributor for LSU’s football team. The women maintain that the details of their alleged sexual assaults were relayed to an athletics administrator, a nurse and at least two coaches, but USA Today found no evidence that the school investigated the matter. Additionally, neither woman reported either incident to law enforcement authorities.

From USA Today: (Trigger warning: the following includes graphic details of multiple incidents of alleged sexual assault.)

Both women told USA TODAY that Guice assaulted them in their own apartments after nights of heavy drinking. One woman said Guice showed up uninvited to a party she was hosting, then entered her bedroom while she was sleeping and raped her. The other woman, the tennis player, said Guice raped her when she allowed him into her home after meeting him for the first time at a bar.

“I was drunk and passed out on my bed,” the first woman said. “I never gave him consent. I never wanted to have sex with him. I don’t even remember except the flashbacks I had. I just wonder sometimes, does he even know that that was wrong?”

In response to the allegations, Guice’s attorney, Peter D. Greenspun, maintained his client’s innocence and questioned the timing of the women’s decision to come forward.

“At no time were allegations of physical or sexual assault brought against Derrius during his years as a student-athlete at LSU,” Greenspun wrote in a statement to USA Today. “To bring up such assertions only after the Virginia charges were initiated certainly calls into question the credibility, nature and timing of what is being alleged years later.

“Such speculation and innuendo should not be the basis for Derrius to be required to make any comment at all. But he wants to be absolutely clear. The allegations in this story are just that and have no basis in fact.”

Earlier this month, The Root reported that Guice was charged with one count of strangulation, three counts of assault and battery and one count of destruction of property in relation to domestic-violence incidents involving his girlfriend.

“This afternoon we learned that there were multiple charges filed against Derrius,” Washington’s football team wrote in a statement on August 7. “Upon review of the nature of these charges and following internal discussions, we have decided to release Derrius immediately.”

Washington head coach Ron Rivera expounded on Washington’s decision during an interview with reporters on August 10.

“Any time you have to release a very talented player it’s always a tough decision,” Rivera said. “We take those allegations very, very seriously and we had to make a decision. I talked to [Washington’s] players yesterday that I made a decision I believe was in the best interest of our organization and if it was the right decision we’ll benefit from it and if not it will be on me. I will take full responsibility going forward to make sure we do things the right way.”