An LSU football player whose suspension was overturned in a Title IX case is now being investigated by campus police and the district attorney for allegedly raping a female student last fall.
The woman, Kendall Francis, asked police to pursue a criminal case in September against defensive end Damien Shanklin, who the LSU Office of Civil Rights and Title IX found responsible for "forcible rape." She first made her allegations public in a TikTok video posted Sept. 14.
LSU police said that it is now an "ongoing investigation." The East Baton Rouge District Attorney's Office confirmed in a statement that it is collecting materials and investigating, and declined further comment.
Shanklin's attorneys, Grant Willis and Morgan H. Johnson from the Taylor Porter law firm, which has previously done work with LSU athletics, told ESPN in a statement Thursday that their client maintains his innocence and will fully cooperate with the criminal investigation.
"What has been portrayed on social media and in the news thus far, is not a full account of all of the facts and circumstances surrounding this situation," they said. "Mr. Shanklin looks forward to the day when all information surrounding this incident is brought to light and becomes public knowledge."
They added that Shanklin will not comment until the criminal investigation is over.
In July, the school found Shanklin responsible for "forcible rape" and issued a one-year suspension, which is a full ban from campus and activities, according to documents reviewed by ESPN. After Shanklin appealed, an administrative law judge who handles appeals per LSU policy upheld the finding that the athlete was responsible for "forcible rape," but reduced the punishment to four semesters of probation with no restrictions, which allows Shanklin to remain enrolled and on campus and to participate in activities as long as he stays out of trouble.
Administrative Law Judge Janet Waguespack wrote in her Aug. 25 decision that Shanklin's initial punishment was "exceedingly harsh," and did not take into account several factors, including that he had no prior disciplinary history at LSU and that the incident "occurred only on one occasion and the time was brief."
She noted that other factors to consider were that there was "both consensual and nonconsensual activity," that there was no malice or force, and that Shanklin attempted to console the woman and expressed concern about her mental health.
"Respondent's behavior, although nonconsensual, did not exhibit a deliberate disregard for the dignity and autonomy of Complainant but was instead an error in judgment," she wrote.
In her TikTok video, Francis described receiving the appeal report while in class at the start of the semester.
"I ended up reading the appeal in my class, and during the letter, it said that he was still responsible for rape, but he's able to play football, join orgs, and everything like that. And so that made my anxiety really, really bad because I don't want to face this person," she said in the video. "Now I am just trying to speak on my story because LSU does really protect their athletes, especially their football players."
When ESPN reached Francis on Tuesday, she said she had retained an attorney and declined further comment. Former NAACP Baton Rouge branch president Eugene Collins, who is representing Francis as an advocate, said that once the university let her down, she went to the police. Collins said the university did not give her any advance notice of the suspension being lifted and her only option to avoid seeing him on campus was to take online classes.
According to Title IX documents and police reports obtained by ESPN, the two students agreed that their initial sexual contact on Oct. 18, 2025, in Shanklin's residence hall room was consensual. Francis said Shanklin proceeded to have penetrative sex with her without her consent for about 20 seconds even after she told him to stop.
Shanklin said he did intentionally penetrate the woman and when he asked her if she wanted him to stop, she said nothing, according to the documents. He said in the report that he continued for about 20 seconds before she told him to stop, at which point he did.
According to the records, Francis told Shanklin in texts after she left in the morning that she wanted to go "to the hospital for a rape kit" and made comments about wanting to "end my life." Shanklin's mother contacted the woman and asked her "not to do anything to jeopardize [Shanklin's] career," according to the records.
Shanklin provided text messages showing that after he asked Francis not to report the incident to police, "she responded by asking how much money would she get if she took that offer," the police report states. Shanklin sent her $1,000 via a cash app, according to the Title IX documents.
According to the records, campus police officers came to the football operations center around noon on Oct. 18 to talk to Shanklin, who wanted to report an incident "due to concerns about potential accusations" and Francis's mental health.
The police report notes that officers visited Francis at her apartment and determined that "her mental state was unstable" and took her to the hospital, where she said she underwent a rape kit. It noted a report from a few days earlier in which officers responded to a welfare check requested by Francis's mother but determined that she "was not in danger."
Francis said that Shanklin had indicated to her that he had been suspended from the team, according to the Title IX report. She said when she saw him play in a game that fall, it was a "slap in the face." On Dec. 9, 2025, the Title IX office received the police report and contacted Francis, who then decided to file a formal complaint.
Shanklin played in five games during the 2025 season as a true freshman under coaches Brian Kelly and Frank Wilson. Three were after Oct. 18, including the Dec. 27 Texas Bowl, which occurred weeks after police sent their report to the Title IX office.
When asked why he was not at fall camp in August, first-year LSU coach Lane Kiffin told reporters, "He is not practicing with the team right now and that's all I can comment on that." Shanklin has not played this season.
Collins said that while the university did offer Francis counseling through a local nonprofit, no one offered her academic support, dispensation on classwork or grades, or anything else to help her manage her classes. He said she failed many of her classes last year and switched to online school because of the incident, and is now facing a delayed graduation and financial hardship.
LSU spokeswoman Meg Casper Sunstrom said she could not answer questions about any assistance Francis received from the school. The documents the university sent to the woman this summer mention that she has access to "supportive measures." The letter notifying her of the appeal decision states, "Measures are designed to ensure continued access to educational programs and activities and may include academic adjustments, counseling referrals, or other appropriate available resources."
In a statement on behalf of the Title IX office and LSU Police, Sunstrom said, "LSU properly followed its Title IX policy and processes to a conclusion." She declined to answer specific questions about the report.
"Let me assure everyone that this incident has been handled professionally and that LSU has strictly followed our policies, procedures and best practices, including the Title IX process, to guide our actions to date," LSU president Wade Rousse said in the statement.
In 2020, LSU hired law firm Husch Blackwell to review the school's handling of sexual assault complaints after a series of high-profile incidents involving athletes. In March 2021, it issued a 148-page report finding multiple failures with how the university responded to sexual assault and misconduct complaints, understaffed its Title IX office, and improperly handled complaints involving athletics. It included information from a 2013 internal investigation into then head football coach Les Miles, detailing allegations of misconduct.
The revelations prompted several changes, including new state laws regarding how universities should respond to Title IX complaints.