LSU defensive end Damien Shanklin is being investigated by the East Baton Rouge District Attorney’s Office after a female student went public with a rape accusation against him in a TikTok video.
The DA’s office confirmed to ESPN that it is “collecting materials and investigating,” but declined further comment.
The student, Kendall Francis, explained in her video, posted on September 14, that the rape allegedly occurred last October.
Francis alleges that after she was raped, Shanklin’s mom texted her, asking her not to press charges because it could ruin her son’s football career. She also said Shanklin, 20, sent her $1,000 in “hush money” so that she would not press charges.
After coming forward with her accusation to school authorities, Francis said that LSU found Shanklin “accountable” for rape, which he allegedly admitted to on the record, and suspended him for one year, despite the school’s policy calling for a two-to-three-year suspension. Shanklin then appealed the suspension and the school reduced his sentence to probation, according to documents viewed by ESPN. The decision allowed Shanklin to return to campus and play football.
“That made my anxiety really, really bad because I don’t want to face this person, so this caused me to go online full time, and now I’m just trying to speak on my story because LSU does really protect their athletes, especially their football players,” she said. “I really just wanted to bring awareness upon this situation because I’m just dealing with a lot right now, and I think that this story needs to be heard.”
Attorneys for Shanklin shared a statement to USA Today, urging the public not to jump to conclusions.
“What has been portrayed on social media and in the news thus far, is not a full account of all of the facts and circumstances surrounding this situation,” the statement reads. “Given this is an ongoing criminal investigation, all facts are not publicly available to not compromise the criminal investigation. We simply ask that the court of public opinion cease to make any assumptions about any person involved until more information is publicly available.”
LSU president Wade Rousse also released a statement to USA Today, saying the school followed its own policies and procedures during its investigation.
“LSU and its current administration take very seriously any allegations of misconduct involving students on our campuses. Safety and security must be our number one priority,” Rousse, 55, said. “Let me assure everyone that this incident has been handled professionally and that LSU has strictly followed our policies, procedures and best practices, including the Title IX process, to guide our actions to date.”
He added, “Now that a criminal complaint has been filed, our role is to continue cooperating with our law enforcement partners as they work through their investigatory process.”
LSU head football coach Lane Kiffin has not commented on Shanklin since August, when he confirmed the defensive end was not practicing with the team. He played five games last season but has not appeared in a game so far in 2026.
