An alleged sexual assault last year will leave the playing careers — and freedom — of two Navy football players very much up in the air. In a statement Monday afternoon, the U.S. Naval Academy announced that three unnamed Navy current and former football players will be charged with rape. The military academy’s superintendent, Michael Miller, “has chosen to send the case to Article 32 proceedings” wrote Military.com.
An official charge sheet has yet to be completed, which is why the names of the three suspects have not been released. Two of the suspects are current Navy football players, while the third was set to graduate in May but was denied the opportunity because of the criminal case.
All three players were permitted to play football for the Midshipmen as the investigation into the alleged rape continued.
From the website, here’s a description of the alleged attack:
The female midshipman who reported the sexual assault attended a party at an off-campus property known as the “football house” in Annapolis in April 2012, according to a statement from her lawyer, Susan Burke. …
The midshipman woke up at the football house the next morning “with little recall of what had occurred,” according to the statement. She later found out through friends and social media that three football players had “sexual intercourse with her while she was incapacitated,” according to the statement.
The female midshipman reported the incident to NCIS, saying she was intoxicated and didn’t remember much from the night. NCIS started an investigation in April 2012 that continued throughout the summer and into the fall.
The investigation was closed in November, but was reopened two months later after the alleged victim’s attorney spoke to NCIS. In February, the investigation was reopened.