Advertisement

Kansas dismisses guard Arterio Morris after rape charge

The Texas transfer recently reached a plea deal regarding a 2022 altercation with an ex-girlfriend

KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI - MARCH 26:  Arterio Morris #2 of the Texas Longhorns dribbles the ball during the Elite Eight round of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament against the Miami (Fl) Hurricanes at T-Mobile Center on March 26, 2023 in Kansas City, Missouri.  (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)
Arterio Morris transferred from Texas to Kansas over the offseason. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)

Kansas guard Arterio Morris was arrested on a rape charge Friday and subsequently dismissed from the team.

Morris was suspended from the team earlier in the month. Kansas gave no reason for Morris’ suspension when it was announced, but the Kansas City Star obtained a University of Kansas police department incident report regarding an alleged rape at McCarthy Hall, the university dorm where basketball players reside.

“When we learned of allegations regarding Arterio Morris, he was suspended from the Kansas men’s basketball program. We are now aware he has been arrested and charged, and he was dismissed from the program,” said a statement from KU to the Star on Friday. “As this is an ongoing legal matter, we are not able to comment further at this time.”

According to the incident report, an 18-year-old woman was allegedly sexually assaulted in the early morning hours of Aug. 26 and the allegation was reported to university police the next day. Two Kansas players were listed as witnesses in the report, while Morris was not initially named in the report.

The Texas native came to Kansas over the offseason after spending his freshman season at Texas following a previous allegation of physical violence against a woman. Morris was arrested in June 2022 after an alleged altercation with his ex-girlfriend in Frisco, Texas. According to the Associated Press in 2022, the woman told police that Morris grabbed her by the arm and pulled her off a bed before grabbing the front of her sports bra. Police said they viewed an abrasion on her neck.

Morris was charged with a misdemeanor. The day before he was suspended by KU — and over two weeks after the alleged rape at McCarthy Hall — Morris entered a no-contest plea as part of a deal with prosecutors in Texas regarding the misdemeanor charge.

Morris came to Kansas after playing in 38 games for the Longhorns in 2022-23. He scored 4.6 points per game in nearly 12 minutes a contest and played in all four of Texas’ NCAA tournament games. His bond Friday was set at $75,000.