College Basketball

Kansas dismisses transfer Arterio Morris after arrest on rape charge

Kansas Jayhawks men’s basketball head coach Bill Self announced Friday that Arterio Morris has been dismissed from the program after he was arrested and charged with rape.

Morris was booked on Friday by the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office on a felony charge of “rape; circumstances unknown,” ESPN reported.

Morris was originally suspended by the team following allegations of rape that were reported to the University of Kansas Police Department earlier this month, according to The Kansas City Star.

“When we learned of allegations regarding Arterio Morris, he was suspended from the Kansas men’s basketball program,” Self said in a statement. “We are now aware he has been arrested and charged, and he was dismissed from the program.

“As this is an ongoing legal matter, we are not able to comment further at this time.”

After being booked into Douglas County jail, Morris’ bond was set for $75,000, and he was no longer in custody as of 11:45 a.m. ET on Friday, per ESPN.

The Kansas City Star reported Morris was under investigation for an Aug. 26 incident that took place at McCarthy Hall, where Kansas’ men’s basketball players and other residents live.

Arterio Morris (2) drives around Gradey Dick (4) in a game played on March 04, 2023 in Austin, Texas.
Arterio Morris (2) drives around Gradey Dick (4) in a game played on March 04, 2023 in Austin, Texas.
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The victim, according to the paper, was an 18-year-old Missouri woman.

Morris wasn’t named in the initial incident report but was suspended by the program shortly thereafter.

Morris was a transfer from the University of Texas, where he spent last season and played in every despite a separate arrest.

Last June, Morris was arrested and charged with misdemeanor assault stemming from an alleged physical altercation with his then-ex-girlfriend, where she told Frisco Police that he had grabbed her arm, pulled her off a bed and injured her neck, per the Associated Press.

Arterio Morris was considered a top-20 recruit coming out of high school.
Arterio Morris was considered a top-20 recruit coming out of high school.
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Morris, 20, had a jury trial scheduled for next week, which was canceled earlier this month after he entered a no-contest plea to a Class C charge, the AP reported.

He was ordered to pay a $362 fine.

Morris was Rivals’ No. 15 and ESPN’s No. 18 ranked prospect in the country for the high school Class of 2022 and committed to Texas after also getting offers from Kansas, Oregon and Baylor, among others.

During his lone season in Texas, Morris averaged 4.6 points per game.

A five-star recruit in 2022, the 6-foot-3 guard was considered to be a future NBA prospect.