Report: Kemari Averett was under investigation for rape when he was arrested last week

The Courier Journal is reporting that Louisville tight end Kemari Averett was accused of rape earlier this month before he was arrested for holding a gun to a woman’s head last week. Averett has been suspended from all team activities after his arrest but he had already been accused of rape on October 9th by a former girlfriend. Averett played in the game against Boston College that weekend, which begs the question of whether or not the coaching staff knew of the allegations at the time.

Bobby Petrino declined to comment to the CJ but Athletic Director Vince Tyra stated that the athletic department did not have information at the time of the game that would have led to a suspension. That seems to be Tyra saying that they didn’t know about the allegations, but it could be that they didn’t know the specifics.

Averett was already on his second chance when he signed with Louisville after being arrested and jailed in high school for assault. This is the second accusation of a violent crime in less than a month. Averett has denied that either claim is true.