Lawyers accuse UW of 'slow walking' decision on whether to allow Quintez Cephus return to school

MADISON - Attorneys for former Badgers wide receiver Quintez Cephus said Monday the University of Wisconsin-Madison is "slow walking" its consideration of his request for readmission after being found not guilty of sexual assault.  

Cephus' attorney Kathleen Stilling said his legal team had given the university more than 250 pages of documents, pictures and other exhibits from his trial. She said the university does not need "every single transcript in the case," which said she would take about three months to get.

"They have everything they need to do what’s right," Stilling told reporters at a news conference. “The answer that was so clear to the jury should also be clear to the UW administration.” 

UW-Madison released a statement saying it is committed to performing a "complete and thorough review" of all petitions for readmission. The statement said the university had not yet made a decision. 

"In most cases this involves a full review of all relevant court records, which in this case were not provided in the petition," the statement said. "We are working to gather this information currently and will complete our review of the petition as quickly as possible once we have it."

Stephen Meyer, another of Cephus' lawyers, said university officials have not said when they will make a decision but suggested they are delaying on purpose.

"They have not provided a timeline," he said. "They keep talking about trial transcripts. That is going to take three months, and they know it is going to take three months. So what does that message send you?"

He told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel "the gloves will come off" if Chancellor Becky Blank "doesn't do what's right." Cephus sued the university last year, but dropped it ahead of his trial. He could try to revive it if UW declines to let him re-enroll.

Cephus told reporters he is not angry about the university's handling of his petition so far, saying he has grown throughout the process with the help of his teammates.  

"I’ve had a chance to show my real character outside of sports, and I took that very serious," he said. "It was ups and downs, but my brothers supported me the whole time. I’m very thankful. The circumstances were very tough, but I am thankful.”

More than a dozen Badgers football players attended the news conference to show their support for Cephus. Seven of them in a letter Monday called on Blank to allow Cephus to return to the university.

In it, the players emphasized that Cephus was found not guilty, arguing that gives the university "all of the facts" it needs to make a decision. 

Players in the letter highlighted the hardships Cephus has faced over the last two years — including the death of his father — and noted that he has remained positive throughout them all. They said Blank has the opportunity to do right by not only Cephus, but also the university.   

"Your decision can alleviate a racial tension felt by your students," the letter says. "You get to decide whether the University of Wisconsin is comfortable with where they are or choose to move forward for the betterment of the past, present and future Badgers."

The letter was signed by players including running back Jonathan Taylor, quarterback Jack Coan and receiver A.J. Taylor. They said they will send another letter this week signed by "all of the players who support and endorse this message." 

Blank responded to the players in an email saying that the student disciplinary process at UW-Madison is separate from the legal process that plays out in a criminal court.

Cephus, 21, of Macon, Georgia, was expelled last semester after being accused of sexually assaulting two women in April 2018. A jury this month found him not guilty of one count of second-degree sexual assault of an intoxicated victim and one count of third-degree sexual assault. 

The wide receiver was also suspended from the football team last summer.

Cephus last week told the Journal Sentinel returning to school is his top priority. He said at the time he hadn't decided whether he would return to UW-Madison or attend another college. 

He also said he planned on playing football again and noted he has continued to train over the last year. 

Badgers football head coach Paul Chryst told reporters Wednesday he "would love to get (Cephus) back," as long as that was best for Cephus.

Contact Lawrence Andrea at landrea@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @lawrencegandrea.