In an interview with Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com, former Duke guard Rasheed Sulaimon said he never sexually assaulted anyone and that his dismissal from the program had nothing to do with those allegations.
He also said he’s been contacted by more than a dozen schools about transferring.
“Me being dismissed from the team had nothing to do with this allegation,” Sulaimon told Goodman in his first public comments since being dismissed from the team in January. He did not specify what the reason was, though he said he was frustrated and could have handled the situation better. “I have never sexually assaulted, not only anyone on the Duke campus, but anyone period,” he said. “It’s not in my nature at all. I have great respect for the role of women in society. I would never demean or do anything to a woman in this manner. No, I’ve never done anything like this in my life.”The Chronicle, Duke’s student newspaper, reported that “Sulaimon’s dismissal from the Duke basketball program is clouded by allegations of sexual assault, which surfaced nearly a year before he was released from the team in January. Multiple sources close to the situation have confirmed that members of the athletic department were made aware of the allegations as early as March 2014.” Sulaimon became the first player ever dismissed by Coach K when he was booted from the team on Jan. 29. Meantime, Sulaimon told Goodman he’s been contacted by more than a dozen schools including Arizona State, Baylor, Colorado, George Washington, Houston, LSU, Maryland, Memphis, Oklahoma State, Seton Hall, SMU, Texas, Texas Southern and Texas A&M.
