No charges will be filed against Oklahoma running back Rodney Anderson

Oklahoma running back Rodney Anderson.(Photo: Sue Ogrocki, AP)

NORMAN, Okla. —  No charges will be filed against Oklahoma running back Rodney Anderson, who was accused of rape by a former Oklahoma student, after what Cleveland County district attorney Greg Mashburn described as a “thorough investigation.”

Anderson, a redshirt sophomore, emerged during the season as Oklahoma’s top running back. He led the Sooners in rushing.

Earlier this month, a protective order was granted to the former Oklahoma student, 23, who alleged Anderson raped her Nov. 16 after they had met at a bar. Anderson passed a polygraph test last week at the request of his attorney. Retired FBI polygraph examiner Bill Brown reported Anderson “denied the allegations” during a three-hour examination and “was not practicing deception in his replies to relevant questions asked of him on this test.”

“My professional training and experience lead me to the conclusion that the results are accurate,” Brown wrote in his report.

Under Oklahoma law, polygraph tests are not admissible in court.

In a court petition for the protective order, the alleged victim wrote that Anderson had assaulted her with his fingers. “I remember feeling like I couldn’t get away,” she wrote. “He knows where I live and I’m scared for my safety.”

Anderson created a Twitter account and tweeted, “In the most possible straightforward and honest manner, I did not do this.”

Anderson’s attorney, Derek Chance, said the accuser had gone to police only after Anderson had turned away her requests “to pursue a relationship.”

“This week we have worked to demonstrate Mr. Anderson’s innocence,” Chance said in a statement released to reporters last Friday. “That work included a polygraph examination of Mr. Anderson. … As expected, the results showed Mr. Anderson is honest and truthful in his denial of the allegations.”

Oklahoma plays Georgia in a College Football Playoff semifinal at the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1. Before the announcement, Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley told reporters at a previously scheduled news conference Anderson was “still fully on the team” during the process.

“Obviously it’s a serious deal,” Riley said. “Something we take very seriously around here. (The authorities) need to take the proper time to go through everything they have.”

Riley said he told Anderson, “We’re there for you and we know it’s a tough time. … We’ll let the legal process play out.”

 

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