Report: Rasheed Sulaimon was dismissed from Duke amid sexual assault allegations

Rasheed Sulaimon's dismissal from the Duke basketball team on Jan. 29 was apparently not the end of his story with the program.

Sulaimon became the first player to ever be dismissed from the Duke team under head coach Mike Krzyzewski, with the head coach explaining that Sulaimon had been unable to live up to the program's standards.

While it was initially unclear what, exactly, Sulaimon had done, a report from The Duke Chronicle paints an unflattering picture. According to the report, Sulaimon is alleged to have committed two separate acts of sexual assault during the 2013-14 season, something the athletic department knew about as far back as March of 2014.

From the report:

Separate allegations of sexual assault by Sulaimon came from two female students in the 2013-14 academic year. Both students voiced allegations publicly, but neither filed a complaint through the Office of Student Conduct or took legal action through the Durham Police Department. The students declined to discuss their allegations with The Chronicle.

In October 2013, a female student said in a large group session at the student-led diversity retreat Common Ground that Sulaimon had sexually assaulted her, three retreat participants said. At the following semester's Common Ground retreat beginning in February 2014, a second female student said she had been sexually assaulted by Sulaimon, according to four retreat participants. ...

The allegations were brought to the attention of a team psychologist in March 2014, the anonymous affiliate said. That month, the allegations were brought to Krzyzewski and assistant coaches Jon Scheyer and Nate James and associate head coach Jeff Capel.

The alleged victims reportedly declined to pursue official action for fear of the reaction from the team's fanbase, but federal Title IX rules dictate that schools are responsible for investigating allegations even if a complaint isn't officially filed.

Duke released a statement Monday morning regarding the report:

Duke is prohibited by law from disclosing publicly any particular student's confidential education records. The university takes immediate action when it receives reports of alleged sexual misconduct or other violations of the student conduct code, which includes investigation and referral to the Student Conduct Office for review in a timely manner as required by law. Duke also takes every possible action internally to ensure anyone who raises a complaint of sexual misconduct is supported and the campus community is safe.

Prior to his dismissal, Sulaimon had been averaging 7.5 points in 19.3 minutes for Duke, continuing a multi-year decline from his impressive freshman season.