Suspended OU basketball players return to team

Suspended OU basketball players return to team

Published Nov. 20, 2013 3:19 p.m. ET

ROCHESTER, Mich. -- Oakland basketball players Duke Mondy and Dante Williams will rejoin the team, according to an official release from the university.

The two players served a two-game suspension for violation of team policies during a recent West Coast trip.

The release states that the university conducted an internal review of the incident, and it was confirmed that no crime was committed.

Mondy and Williams will begin practicing with the team again Wednesday.

"I am at issue with the moral connotations of what occurred, but I work at a public institution where diverse beliefs and ideals are accepted," coach Greg Kampe said in a statement. "It is the consequences of their actions while representing this university that must be addressed.

"It is my belief that the word coach and teacher are synonymous, and I intend on making this a learning experience for the two student-athletes involved and the rest of the team. The entire team will be going through a series of behind-the-scenes workshops and training sessions to address not only this incident, but also additional life skills.

"The mission of this basketball program is and always has been to educate student-athletes, and that education process needs to be in addition to academics."

Several reports say that Mondy and Williams were involved in sordid, late-night sex with a young woman at a hotel, which resulted in the two getting arrested and detained for questioning in Culver City, Calif., on a rape allegation. The woman later recanted her rape claim and the felony charges were dropped.

Mondy, a 22-year-old senior point guard, led the nation in steals last season. He played two seasons at Providence before transferring to Oakland. Williams, 20, is a key player on coach Kampe's bench.

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