UW football player pleads not guilty to raping mulitple women

Update April 18, 6 a.m.

University of Washington (UW) football player Tylin Rogers faced a judge Thursday and pled not guilty to the second- and third-degree rape charges after allegedly raping two women he met on Tinder.

Rogers’ attorney said he is innocent and will “fight every inch of these false claims.” Rogers was arrested in early April near Husky Stadium.

His trial date is set for July 8.

JUST NOW: UW Huskies running back Tylin “Tybo” Rogers walks into the King County courtroom where he’s arraigned on two rape charges.

He’s accused of raping two female students last fall.

He’s pleading not guilty.

Trial set for July 8. pic.twitter.com/W4S5rfdB63

— Sam Campbell (@HeySamCampbell) April 18, 2024

Original Story

A University of Washington (UW) football player was arrested and charged for two sexual assaults on Seattle women and, according to charging documents, he played in two College Football Playoff games after at least one of the allegations was known to the university.

King County Prosecutor Leesa Manion said 18-year-old Husky running back Tylin “Tybo” Rogers has been charged with one count of second-degree rape and another count of third-degree rape. The arrest happened Friday, according to Seattle police, who’ve been investigating the two assaults since they occurred in Seattle’s Capitol Hill and U-District neighborhoods last October and November.

His bail was set at $150,000 in each case.

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Details on the sexual assault cases

Rogers allegedly met a woman through the dating app Tinder in August. After a few months of messaging, Rogers went to her apartment to hang out on Oct. 23 and assaulted her, according to court documents. Rogers ignored her pleas and forced her into sexual acts for at least 10 minutes, according to court documents.

The victim, a 19-year-old Seattle Central Community College student reported the alleged rape to police on Oct. 28 and completed a sexual assault kit at Harborview Medical Center.

“Since the assault, the frequency of her seizures have increased and she had to drop out of school as she could not dedicate her attention to school while working through her trauma,” the police report stated. “(The victim) also moved back with her parents as she needed additional support both medically and emotionally.”

A second victim, a 22-year-old UW student, reported that she was raped by Rogers the following month. She met Rogers at a Halloween party on Greek Row at the university, according to The Associated Press, and later matched with him on Tinder. Court documents stated Rogers was immediately forceful and assaulted her after he entered her apartment. The victim told police at one point Rogers “used one of his hands to strangle her” and that the assault lasted approximately 20 minutes.

In both instances, he did not use a condom and would block the victims on social media, according to charging documents.

Rogers’ involvement with UW Huskies

He was suspended from the football team last November for “personal issues.” He played in 10 of UW’s 12 regular season games — logging 38 carries for 163 yards alongside four receptions for 61 yards — before being pulled from the team. While he did not play in the PAC-12 Championship game against the Oregon Ducks, Rogers suited up for both subsequent playoff games against Texas and Michigan, recording 32 yards off eight touches combined.

“What also stands out in the report is it talks about how in fall camp Rogers drew a suspension. They kept him out of the Boise State and the Tulsa games,” KIRO Newsradio host Gee Scott said. “During that time, then Head Coach Kalen DeBoer stressed that Rogers at the time hadn’t broken the law or any NCAA rules. Just a team rule, so he wasn’t allowed to play.”

At the time, UW Offensive Coordinator Ryan Grubb said during a news conference that Rogers was “working through some things, some challenges he’s had off the field,” according to The Associated Press. While it’s not confirmed whether the coaches knew about the assault allegations at the time, The Associated Press reported multiple emails were sent within the UW athletic department confirming Rogers should be taken off the team’s travel roster.

“I believe all the coaches — Kalen DeBoer, Ryan Grubb, (Athletic Director) Troy Dannen — knew about these stories,” Gee continued. “They had to have because in the PAC-12 championship game, he was not allowed to travel with the team or play in that game. Then, after the PAC 12 championship game, he was then allowed to play in the next two games, which was the college playoff.”

A statement from the UW to KIRO 7 said it is cooperating with law enforcement.

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“The University of Washington Intercollegiate Athletics Department is aware of the arrest of a football student-athlete by the Seattle Police Department,” UW wrote, according to KIRO Newsradio. “The student-athlete has been suspended from all team activities until further notice. UW will continue to gather facts and cooperate with law enforcement, as requested.”

Former UW Football coach Kalen DeBoer, who coached Rogers, sent the following statement to KIRO Newsradio on April 11:

“While I am not able to comment specifically on the situation involving an individual at my former institution because of federal privacy laws and the ongoing criminal matters, I do want to make it clear that I take any allegation of sexual misconduct very seriously. I always have and always will follow established institutional policies and procedures to ensure prompt reporting and proper handling of allegations by the appropriate authorities.”

The King County Prosecutor’s Office told KIRO 7 that Rogers posted bail and is out of jail.

Contributing: The Associated Press, KIRO 7

Frank Sumrall is a content editor at MyNorthwest. You can read his stories here and you can email him here.