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Report: Sexual assault allegations preceded Rasheed Sulaimon's dismissal

Report: Sexual assault allegations preceded Rasheed Sulaimon's dismissal

A bombshell report from Duke's student newspaper Monday shed light on the school's mysterious decision to dismiss guard Rasheed Sulaimon five weeks ago.

Two female Duke students had accused Sulaimon of sexual assault during the 2013-14 school year, the Duke Chronicle reported.

Both students spoke with their peers about the alleged sexual assaults during a pair of off-campus retreats designed to promote open discussion of social issues, but neither formally reported them to the police nor to Duke's Office of Student Conduct. The fear of backlash from the Duke fan base was a factor in the decision the two female students made to not pursue the allegations, according to the Chronicle.

The allegations were brought to the attention of a team psychologist in March 2014, the Chronicle reported. High-ranking Duke officials, including the coaching staff and athletic director Kevin White, learned of the allegations later that month.

The Chronicle report raises several questions that Duke will have to answer in the coming days. Why did school officials wait nearly an entire year after learning of the allegations to dismiss Sulaimon? And why did they feel comfortable allowing him to remain enrolled in classes through the end of the spring semester?

Sulaimon is the first player coach Mike Krzyzewski has dismissed from the program during his tenure at Duke. Krzyzewski said at the time of the dismissal that Sulaimon had been "unable to consistently live up to the standards required to be a member of our program."

“It is a privilege to represent Duke University and with that privilege comes the responsibility to conduct oneself in a certain manner," Krzyzewski said in a Jan. 29 statement. "After Rasheed repeatedly struggled to meet the necessary obligations, it became apparent that it was time to dismiss him from the program.”

Sulaimon averaged 11.6 points and 3.4 rebounds per game during a promising freshman season, but his playing time and production diminished the past two years as other talented wings eclipsed him in Duke's rotation. The Blue Devils have not lost a game since his dismissal as Matt Jones and Justise Winslow have absorbed most of his playing time.

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Jeff Eisenberg is the editor of The Dagger on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at daggerblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!