LSU student who accused football player of sexual assault says university failed her as criminal investigation opens

Damien Shanklin remains on the school’s football team after his initial one-year suspension was reduced to probation.

One year after LSU student Kendall Francis reported she was raped on campus by a football player, campus police and the district attorney are now investigating the case.

Francis alleged that Damien Shanklin sexually assaulted her on October 18, 2025. A Title IX investigation into the incident concluded that he was responsible for “forcible rape.” His lawyers have stated that he maintains his innocence and is cooperating with investigators.

“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.”

In an interview with Jericka Duncan of CBS on Monday, Francis recalled the incident with Franklin and how their stories differed after a consensual moment between the two became something different.

“It’s just a matter of like, who would believe me?” Francis said. “All of these things were going through my brain.”

In a conversation with WAFB in Baton Rouge, Francis told the outlet that the university failed her.

“I would like to see him in jail,” she said. “I would like to see something done about the way the university handled the situation. I don’t think it was fair to me what happened.”

Shanklin played in five games for the Tigers in 2025 under then-head coach Brian Kelly and interim head coach Frank Wilson. Three of those games came after the alleged assault on October 18, including the 2025 Texas Bowl, which occurred weeks after police sent their report to LSU’s Title IX office.

Originally, Shanklin was handed down a one-year suspension from school, which would have barred him from team activities and campus. However, following his appeal, his suspension was reduced to four semesters of probation with no restrictions, allowing him to continue playing football.

Francis’ story became amplified after she recounted the alleged sexual assault on TikTok in a video uploaded to the platform on September 14.

At one point, she revealed that she received the appeal while in class.

“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,” Francis 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.”

Shanklin remains on the LSU football team at the current time.