PHILADELPHIA — The U.S. Military Academy says sexual assault allegations against Army quarterback Ahmad Bradshaw were proved to be unfounded and the case is closed.
The academy released a statement Saturday, a day after the Daily Beast published a story in which former cadet Madeline Lewis said Bradshaw raped her in 2014.
Bradshaw, a senior captain, played and scored the go-ahead touchdown later Saturday in Army’s 14-13 victory over Navy.
“USMA treated Cadet Bradshaw as it would any other cadet under similar circumstances,” the statement said. “It fully investigated every allegation against him and suspended him from NCAA football competition during the eventually-unfounded criminal investigation.”
Lewis said she met Bradshaw, a friend of her roommate, three weeks into the 2014 school. She told the Daily Beast she returned to her room after a shower one night, when Bradshaw assaulted her.
Bradshaw did not play during the 2014 season. The academy said Bradshaw was later disciplined for a separate academic incident in which he didn’t properly cite material in a paper.
“USMA stands behind Cadet Bradshaw, as it stands behind our young men and women who choose to become part of it at great personal expense in order to emerge on the other end as leaders of character,” the academy statement said. “These are leaders who are not immune from mistakes or their consequences but who are uniquely equipped to learn and grow from them.”
Army athletics spokesman Matt Faulkner said at the beginning of Army’s postgame press conference Saturday that players and coaches would answer no questions about the incident.
Coach Jeff Monken was asked how the story affected Bradshaw ahead of Saturday’s game.
“Nothing affects that guy,” he said. “He’s a poised leader and he does not flinch. He does not flinch. You find people who are very successful, you find a competitor that is a winner, he finds a way to get things done. Take any great player you want to think of, Michael Jordan or Larry Bird or whoever, that’s what this guy is. He’s going to find a way. Throw anything at him, he’s going to find a way.”
