Former Ohio State running back Bri’onte Dunn found not guilty in rape trial
By Dean Narciso
The Columbus Dispatch
Posted Oct 19, 2018 at 12:54 PM
Updated Oct 19, 2018 at 8:04 PM
Bri’onte Dunn bowed his head, wiped his eyes and gave his attorney a bear hug. A small gathering of his family and friends gasped and embraced.
Franklin County Common Pleas Judge Kim Brown read the verdicts on Friday — not guilty on both counts of rape.
Dunn, 25, a one-time, promising Ohio State University football player, had testified Thursday that he routinely had casual, but consensual, sex with a woman he met on a dating app last year. He had faced two counts of rape stemming from an Aug. 20, 2017 incident in which the woman said he forced himself on her three times after she had picked him up in the early morning because he was stranded.
The woman who made the accusations had earlier testified that she cared for Dunn, with whom she had broken up. She allowed him to stay at her apartment only until he could call an Uber. Instead, she testified, he got into her bed and forced sex on her.
Dunn was a backup running back with the Buckeyes from 2012 to 2015, until he was dismissed for violating team rules. He maintained that the woman wanted to marry a football player, and had told him she wanted to have his baby.
If Dunn had been convicted, he faced up to 22 years in prison. A third count of rape was dismissed by prosecutors.
Dunn’s attorney, Joe Landusky, said his client was wrongfully accused and had refused to take any plea deal in the case.
After the courtroom emptied, Dunn said the gamble was worth it.
“I’m happy that the whole world can see that I’m innocent,” he said. “I’m just trying to get back with my life, and hopefully renewing my career.”
He said he has an agent and a goal to play in the Alliance of American Football League, proposed to begin in 2019.
“I hope this clears my name,” Dunn said. “I hope the coaches will understand that I’m an innocent man, like I am... I never thought an innocent man could get this far in the process.”
Dunn declined to comment on his accuser’s well-being or motivation for her pursuing charges.
“He still has a whole career ahead of him, including in the Canadian Football League or even the NFL,” said Landusky. “He still has his dreams.”
dnarciso@dispatch.com
@DeanNarciso
https://www.dispatch.com/news/20181019/former-ohio-state-running-back-brionte-dunn-found-not-guilty-in-rape-trial
By Dean Narciso
The Columbus Dispatch
Posted Oct 19, 2018 at 12:54 PM
Updated Oct 19, 2018 at 8:04 PM
Bri’onte Dunn bowed his head, wiped his eyes and gave his attorney a bear hug. A small gathering of his family and friends gasped and embraced.
Franklin County Common Pleas Judge Kim Brown read the verdicts on Friday — not guilty on both counts of rape.
Dunn, 25, a one-time, promising Ohio State University football player, had testified Thursday that he routinely had casual, but consensual, sex with a woman he met on a dating app last year. He had faced two counts of rape stemming from an Aug. 20, 2017 incident in which the woman said he forced himself on her three times after she had picked him up in the early morning because he was stranded.
The woman who made the accusations had earlier testified that she cared for Dunn, with whom she had broken up. She allowed him to stay at her apartment only until he could call an Uber. Instead, she testified, he got into her bed and forced sex on her.
Dunn was a backup running back with the Buckeyes from 2012 to 2015, until he was dismissed for violating team rules. He maintained that the woman wanted to marry a football player, and had told him she wanted to have his baby.
If Dunn had been convicted, he faced up to 22 years in prison. A third count of rape was dismissed by prosecutors.
Dunn’s attorney, Joe Landusky, said his client was wrongfully accused and had refused to take any plea deal in the case.
After the courtroom emptied, Dunn said the gamble was worth it.
“I’m happy that the whole world can see that I’m innocent,” he said. “I’m just trying to get back with my life, and hopefully renewing my career.”
He said he has an agent and a goal to play in the Alliance of American Football League, proposed to begin in 2019.
“I hope this clears my name,” Dunn said. “I hope the coaches will understand that I’m an innocent man, like I am... I never thought an innocent man could get this far in the process.”
Dunn declined to comment on his accuser’s well-being or motivation for her pursuing charges.
“He still has a whole career ahead of him, including in the Canadian Football League or even the NFL,” said Landusky. “He still has his dreams.”
dnarciso@dispatch.com
@DeanNarciso
https://www.dispatch.com/news/20181019/former-ohio-state-running-back-brionte-dunn-found-not-guilty-in-rape-trial
