Two former Ohio State football players accused of rape and kidnapping charges in 2020 have been acquitted by a jury. Amir I. Riep and Jahsen L. Wint, former defensive backs for the Buckeyes, were charged with two counts of rape and one count of kidnapping after their arrest on Feb. 11, 2020.
Riep played for OSU for three seasons, from 2017 to 2019, and Wint played for four seasons, from 2016 to 2019.
“I’m going to get my life back on track, get my degree, and keep on being a law-abiding citizen,” Wint said to The Columbus Dispatch.
https://twitter.com/RealBrysonGray/status/1625624758237728772?s=20&t=uqiAgM50LS0fVcEOZyzyVA
The OSU Initial Reaction
Ohio State released the players one day later, and Riep was held on a $100,000 bond while Wint was held on a $75,000 bond.
“I have dismissed Amir Riep and Jahsen Wint from our football program,” OSU Head Coach Ryan Day said in a statement during that time. “I am not making any statement on the criminal charges, but it is clear they did not live up to our standards and my expectations. The athletics department will make sure they both continue to have access to the health and well-being resources available to students and student-athletes. Due to the ongoing criminal investigation, I will not be commenting further.”
The two maintained their innocence and pleaded not guilty, and for the past three years, the two have fought the charges. After a three-day trial, they were acquitted by a jury on Thursday.
Riep became an OSU team member in the 2017 recruiting class, with Wint arriving the following year in 2018. Although they both played primarily backup roles during their time at OSU, they were looking to compete for more significant positions leading into the 2020 season. Unfortunately, their subsequent arrests derailed them.
The women should get the time they would get if convicted smh fucked up ! Who holding these women accountable if they’re lying. messed these men life up https://t.co/ieZsa6p89s
— Errol Spence (@ErrolSpenceJr) February 14, 2023
“The women should get the time they would get if convicted smh f**ked up !” current unified welterweight champion Errol Spence, Jr. wrote on Twitter. “Who holding these women accountable if they’re lying. messed these men life up.”
The Allegations
According to a report from Cleveland News Channel 19, Riep is alleged to have “filmed the victim and told her to give her name and say the incident was consensual before driving her back to her residence last week.”
During the trial, the former players’ defense attorneys, Dan Sabol, and Sam Shamansky argued that the victim had consensual sex with both men but she regretted it afterward. They alleged that the victim’s father pushed his daughter and authorities to pursue criminal charges against Riep and Wint.
Now the two are trying to piece their lives back together.
Before the incident, Riep was majoring in sports management with two semesters left at Ohio State. There has yet to be a word on if he will return to the school to complete it.
“I’m grateful and you grow through what you go through,” Riep said after the verdict to The Columbus Dispatch.
Wint already completed his degree at OSU in human development in 2020; however, the university has withheld his degree pending the outcome of this trial. Now he must find out if OSU will release his diploma and validate his graduate status now that he has been acquitted.
