(Mods - not sure if this is the right forum ...)

(As Conley played in the NFL at the time of his legal issues: moved to the Other Sports Forum.)

Former OSU Buckeye Gareon Conley, who was accused before the 2017 draft of sexual assault, has finally had his day in court. After having charges dismissed by a grand jury, the accuser filed a civil case that has taken years to play out in the courts.

Conley, a DB who was drafted by the Raiders, and then played for the Texans until 2021, released a statement regarding the verdict:

"I am grateful and relieved to finally be fully exonerated."

Conley has continued to maintain his innocence, saying he was "falsely accused of sexually assaulting a young woman", and provided DNA samples and passed a polygraph test while cooperating with the police during the investigation.

After a grand jury declined to indict Conley on criminal charges in 2017, the woman filed a civil lawsuit in 2018 for assault and battery, and he countersued her alleging malicious prosecution. Conley was successful in his countersuit, and was awarded the sum total of $300 (the precise amount he asked for) in addition to having his accuser labeled as a malicious prosecutor. From The Bleacher Report:

Conley said in his statement his intent in countersuing was "never about recovering money" from the woman and asked that the jury only award him $300, which it did.

Here is the official statement from Conley's own Twitter account:

November 17, 2022 my name was cleared even though it was always clear in my mind! please share! pic.twitter.com/yAPrRvnYZd
— Gareon Conley (@_gconley8) November 21, 2022