2017 NFL Draft: Likely Ohio State 1st-Round Pick Accused Of Sexual Assault

The 2017 NFL Draft is ready to commence, and one former Ohio State player expected to be taken in the first round was accused of sexual assault in downtown Cleveland earlier this April.

First published 8:00 a.m. Updated 1:43 p.m.

Gareon Conley, a former Ohio State player expected to be taken in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft, was accused of sexual assault for an incident stemming from the early morning hours of Sunday, April 9, according to TMZ.com.

WOIO-TV created all kinds of noised when it published this story Monday night without a name to accompany the accusation. But now, TMZ.com is claiming they have the Cleveland Police report and the entity is naming Gareon Conley.

Conley, who is expected to be a top 10 pick when the draft begins Thursday, “adamantly denies” the allegations,” according to TMZ.

Here’s what the police report said, according to TMZ.

"“…The accuser says she met Conley in a hotel elevator around 3AM and brought her back to his hotel room. She claims Conley asked her to have a foursome with another friend of his and a woman. The accuser says she declined and offered to watch the other couple have sex in the hotel room bathroom instead.A short time later, the woman says Conley unbuttoned her pants and began to have sex with her. She claims she said, ‘No, stop, it hurts!’ but he kept going until he finished. She says Conley then kicked her out of the hotel room.The woman called 911 and described her assailant as a ‘black male who wouldn’t take his sunglasses off and had an Ohio State tattoo on his left forearm.’The woman says she went to a local hospital where a rape kit was administered.An officer tried to speak with the accuser at the hospital but she refused to do an interview. Instead, she told the cop she wanted to go home and “that her dignity was stripped from her in a matter of minutes.” She refused to speak to cops after that."

In a bizarre report, WOIO Channel 19 didn’t release the player’s name, even though the entity has a statement from the player’s attorney, Kevin Spellacy, WOIO said it did not have the official police report and no one has been accused of a crime, so it did not want to publish a name.

The report led to rampant speculation most of Tuesday morning.

Reporter Carl Monday appeared frustrated with the Cleveland Police, because the department wouldn’t release the report.

"“We’d like to see that paperwork. Normally we can. But for some reason we — the media — are being held up,” Monday said."

Here’s how WOIO found out about the incident:

"Police radio traffic coming from downtown Cleveland’s Westin Hotel after 3 a.m. Sunday, April 9 sheds light on the moment officers arrived on scene: “Officers on scene, no call back — 23-year-old female conscious and breathing, victim of a sexual assault.”"

The player’s attorney, Kevin Spellacy, made the following statement:

"“In my opinion this young lady is an opportunist and it’s actually despicable,” said Spellacy."

The player apparently met this woman while at the Barley House on West 6th Street in Cleveland’s Warehouse District. A group left this bar for the Westin Hotel, and that’s the location from where the accusation stems, according to WOIO.

The player’s lawyer said his client was never alone with the accuser.

"He said his client was never alone with the alleged victim, and he has three witnesses who said he did nothing wrong. When police arrived at the Westin, the player had already left. The attorney said he is willing to bring his client in to be interviewed by police, but not right away. He has made arrangements for the interview to be held right after the NFL Draft."

Obviously, stay tuned for more details.

Next: Inside A GM's Head: How The Browns Work A Trade Up For Trubisky

The first round of the NFL Draft commences Thursday, April 27.