BATON ROUGE - Attorneys for an LSU football player who has been accused of raping an 18-year-old LSU student in an on-campus dorm in 2025 say that he is innocent. 

"Damien Shanklin maintains his innocence regarding the events that occurred on October 18, 2025, and will fully cooperate with the criminal investigation. 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," attorneys Grant L. Willis and Morgan H. Johnson said. 

According to a LSU Police Department report, the alleged victim went to Shanklin's dorm at Riverbend Hall after the two had been on FaceTime the night of Oct. 17, 2025.

She told officers that she and Shanklin, 19, agreed they would be intimate, but not have sex. The woman said the two were engaging in consensual sex, but it continued for 20 seconds after she told him to stop and tried to physically push him away. 

The victim said that Shanklin apologized, saying he was sorry after the encounter. 

The document says that Shanklin contacted police and was met by LSUPD officers shortly after noon at the university's Football Operations Center the next day. He allegedly told officers that the woman texted him that she was suicidal and possibly going to a medical facility for a rape kit. 

"Messages provided by Shanklin show he asked her not to report the incident to which she responded by asking how much money would she get if she took that offer," the report says. 

In a social media video, the victim said she took $1,000 of "hush money" from the football player. 

LSUPD said the victim was contacted by officers, but she did not wish to pursue criminal charges at the time. WBRZ previously reported that the victim pursued a Title IX investigation through LSU, which ended with Shanklin receiving a one-year suspension for rape. 

The victim made an official police report on Sept. 21, 2026, saying that she was coming forward due to Shanklin appealing his ban from campus and returning to LSU. 

The football player, a redshirt freshman from Indianapolis, played in five games as a defensive end for the Tigers during its 2025 season. Coach Lane Kiffin was asked about Shanklin's absence from the team in August. 

"Yeah, he's not practicing with the team right now and that's all I can comment on that," Kiffin said during a press conference Aug. 10. 

Shanklin declined to speak with WBRZ, but his attorneys said he "looks forward to the day when all information surrounding this incident is brought to light and becomes public knowledge."

LSUPD and the East Baton Rouge District Attorney's office are investigating. At this time, Shanklin is not facing any criminal charges. 

WBRZ reached out to the victim. We have not heard back.