With the 24th overall selection in the 2017 NFL Draft the Oakland Raiders elected to take Ohio State cornerback Gareon Conley.
Conley has been in the news in recent weeks for off-the-field issues, as he is currently dealing with sexual assault allegations made against him on Monday.
While he is not being charged with any crime, Conley said that he is going to provide a DNA sample to authorities and that he is trying to get video footage from the hotel where the alleged incident took place.
Conley recently released a statement on the matter, via Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk:
“The allegations against me concerning the night of April 8/9 that have recently been reported in multiple media outlets are completely false. I did not commit a crime and have not been charged with a crime.
He went on to add to that statement, saying that he could’ve used better judgment:
“I pride myself on doing things the right way on and off the field. The things being said about me and what happened that night are not true and don’t fit my character at all. I realize that I put himself in the situation and I could have used better judgment. However, I have worked tirelessly to put myself in position to have the honor of being an NFL draft pick and these untrue allegations are putting a huge cloud over my name and the NFL Draft.
On the field, Conley played in 35 games in his three years at Ohio State. He had a total of 91 tackles, six interceptions and 15 passes defended. In 2016 he had 26 total tackles with four interceptions and eight passes defended.
He will fit right into a Raiders secondary that struggled a bit last season, as the Raiders ranked 24th against the pass at 4,120 passing yards allowed.
