Tae Provens’ journey to finding a new college football home has hit a rather sizable and disturbing legal pothole.
According to the Baton Rouge Advocate, Provens (pictured, No. 25) was booked this past Wednesday on one count of third-degree rape stemming from an alleged incident that took place March 24. That alleged incident took place three days after the running back had placed his name into the NCAA transfer database.
The alleged sexual assault took place at Provens’ on-campus apartment very early Sunday morning following a night of drinking.
From the Advocate‘s report:The woman told police she and her friend went to Provens’ apartment for about an hour and a half around 2 a.m. [Sunday]. Once there, she said, Provens followed her into his bedroom, where she had gone to use the bathroom, which was attached to the bedroom. At that point, she “blacks out,” the woman told police, explaining that her memory became hazy. The woman said she had been drinking earlier in the night.
She told police the next thing she remembered was her shirt coming off and trying to hold onto her underwear while it was pulled off, the report says. Then, she said, Provens started raping her. He stopped briefly when the woman told him, “no, no, no,” but then he tried to resume. The woman was able to escape, get dressed, and leave.
Another woman, who didn’t witness the sexual assault, told police that the alleged victim was visibly upset after she left Provens’ bedroom. When confronted by that woman, Provens acknowledged he had sex with the other woman but claimed it was consensual.
“We take any and all allegations like these seriously, and currently, this is a law enforcement investigation,” a statement from the university began. “Once the law enforcement component is completed, the Office of Student Advocacy & Accountability and the Title IX office will conduct their investigation as well. Provens entered the NCAA transfer portal on March 21, and since that time, he has not participated in team activities.
“At LSU, we’re committed to ending sexual violence and maintaining a community of respect, and an alleged incident like this goes against everything we stand for within our community. Our thoughts go out to the victim in this incident and every resource available through the university is being offered through the LSU CARE Team.”
Provens was a three-star member of LSU’s 2018 recruiting class. As a true freshman, Provens totaled 13 yards on four carries in a pair of appearances for the Tigers.
