Tyrin “Tybo” Rodgers, a running back for the University of Washington football team, was charged in King County Superior Court with raping two women.
Rogers, 18, was arrested around 9 a.m. Friday in the 3900 block of Montlake Boulevard, where Husky Stadium is located, the Seattle Police Department said in a blog post. He was released from jail after posting bail.
On Tuesday, he was charged with one count of second-degree rape and one count of third-degree rape.
Rodgers missed one game after the alleged rape incident, but then played in both the Sugar Bowl and the National Championship Game.
A University of Washington spokesperson issued a statement saying the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics is aware of the arrest.
“The student-athlete has been suspended from all team activities until further notice,” University of Wisconsin Athletics spokesperson Jeff Bechthold said in a statement. “The University of Wisconsin will continue to gather facts and cooperate with law enforcement as requested.”
A 5-foot-11, 185-pound running back from Bakersfield High School in California, Rodgers played in 12 games during his freshman season, carrying the ball 44 times for 184 yards.
He also had six catches for 72 yards and three tackles, primarily as a special teams contributor. He enrolled in Washington in time for 2023 spring practice and quickly moved up the strength chart following a season-ending injury to tailback Cameron Davis.
Rodgers was suspended early in UW's fall camp for violating team rules, but ultimately made his Husky debut on September 16 against Michigan State.
He also did not travel to Las Vegas with Washington for the Pac-12 Championship Game on Dec. 1.
Prosecutors allege the rapes occurred between late October and November last year. Both women attended local universities.
Rogers is accused of raping a woman he first met on the dating app Tinder, prosecutors wrote. She told Rogers that the woman did not want to have sex with him before they met, according to her indictment.
The second woman said she met Rogers at a Halloween party last year. After matching on Tinder, the two talked briefly and decided to meet in person, the suspect said. Prosecutors allege that Rogers raped her during one of their meetings.
One of the women filed a Title IX complaint against Rogers with the university in late November, prosecutors said. The woman also posted about the assault on social media to warn others, police said.
Law enforcement officials believe there is a connection between the Title IX charges and Rodgers' removal from the active travel roster for the Pac-12 Championship Game.
Ryan Grubb, Washington's offensive coordinator at the time, told Sports Illustrated's fan nation website Inside the Huskies on Dec. We are currently working on several issues.” But Taibo has done a great job of being here, listening to instructions, just riding through this moment and really being a good steward of the team. ”
Rodgers played in both College Football Playoff games in Washington in January. He had five carries for 19 yards in the Sugar Bowl against Texas on January 1, and then added a carry and a catch against Michigan in the CFP Championship Game.
Grubb, coach Karen DeBoer and athletic director Troy Dunnen, who were at Washington at the time, are no longer affiliated with the university's athletic department. DeBoer departed for Alabama on Jan. 12, taking Grubb with him for a short time before the offensive coordinator returned to Seattle as the Seahawks' offensive coordinator. Dannen abruptly resigned on March 20 to take a job as athletic director at the University of Nebraska.
Neither Mr. Grubb nor Mr. DeBoer responded to The Seattle Times' requests for comment about the incident.
“That's not what I came here for,” Jed Fisch said after Washington's fourth spring practice on Tuesday. “It had nothing to do with what we're doing here. As soon as I learned of this allegation and brought it to our attention, he was suspended indefinitely. No comment on what happened in the past. It doesn't concern me.”
Fish said he didn't know until recently that Rodgers had previously been suspended.
