,Three Georgetown University basketball players were served restraining orders last month over accusations of a sexual assault, a burglary, and threats against a victim and her roommates if they reported the crimes.
Despite the myriad of legal filings related to the case over the past few months—which came to light on Monday—all three men played in the school’s last game on Saturday. At least one of the men allegedly involved in the crimes left the team on Monday.
Players Myron Gardner, Josh LeBlanc, and Galen Alexander were served restraining orders after one was granted on behalf of a purported victim, a Georgetown student, on Nov. 12. The student’s request, filed in Superior Court for the District of Columbia, accused the 6-foot-6 Gardner, a freshman from Detroit, of “sexual harassment and assault” at her home on Sept. 15, which she said was burglarized the next day by Gardner, LeBlanc, and Alexander, court records show.
The student asked that the players “stay away from myself, my friends, and my home” and claimed the three men have been “harassing and threatening” her since she filed reports against them with both the Metropolitan Police Department and the Georgetown University Police Department.
Those police reports allege that the men committed burglary and threat of bodily harm on the evening of Sept. 16, purportedly taking a PlayStation, a digital camera, and shoes from the woman’s home and telling her and her roommates: “If you tell anyone we’ll send people after you.”
The following week, the student's roommate said, LeBlanc, a sophomore, continued to threaten the pair verbally and through text messages.
The court granted the woman a temporary restraining order on Nov. 12 until she can obtain a hearing for a preliminary injunction. One of her roommates separately filed for a temporary restraining order against LeBlanc and Alexander on Nov. 5 in the case. It was also granted.
The Georgetown University basketball team announced on Monday evening that LeBlanc and another sophomore player, James Akinjo, would be transferring out of the program. Akinjo, a star point guard, is not named in any of the complaints viewed by The Daily Beast. The university confirmed on Tuesday that Akinjo was not involved in the criminal case.
Head Coach Patrick Ewing said in a brief statement that both men “will not be playing for the men’s basketball team effective immediately and will not be members of the team for the remainder of the season.” Both players are reportedly in the transfer portal and left of their own accord, the university said on Tuesday.
Though LeBlanc missed a Nov. 6 game between Georgetown and Mount St. Mary’s, he has reportedly played an average of 19.2 minutes in every game since. Meanwhile, Alexander has played in every game of the season, and Gardner reportedly only missed a Nov. 21 game. Georgetown has not publicly acknowledged if either Alexander or Gardner have been punished and on Tuesday cited the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act as justification for its silence.
“Student-athletes are subject to the same disciplinary policies and procedures contained in the code of conduct that apply to any undergraduate or graduate student,” said Lee Reed, the school’s director of intercollegiate athletics. “If the university determines that a student poses an immediate threat to the safety or security of students or of the community, the university would take immediate action to remove the student from campus.”
“Please know that we are deeply committed to the integrity of our athletics program,” Reed continued. “All student athletes are required to complete a four-tiered education model on interpersonal violence and sexual assault. Coach Ewing has taken additional steps to ensure a culture of responsibility and integrity within our men’s basketball team.”
“We aspire for our student-athletes to exemplify the excellence and integrity of the Georgetown community and will continue to work to achieve this mission,” he added.