Xavier Eaglin '19 speaks in a now-deleted Cornell Athletics YouTube video.

March 8, 2016

Cornell Basketball Player Xavier Eaglin ’19 Arrested on Rape Charges

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Correction appended

Cornell police arrested Xavier Eaglin ’19 on Sunday on charges of rape, sexual assault and strangulation, according to the Cornell University Police Department.

CUPD charged Eaglin with first-degree rape, three counts of first-degree criminal sexual assault and criminal obstruction of breathing or blood circulation.

Xavier D. Eaglin '19

Xavier D. Eaglin ’19

Eaglin, 19, is a forward on Cornell’s men’s basketball team and is enrolled in the College of Arts and Sciences. He played nine minutes total in seven games this season. While he did not score a point, he recorded one steal and one block. Eaglin is a native of Raymond, Texas and was named District Player of the Year as a senior at Dayton High School. Prior to committing to Cornell, Eaglin received offers from Yale and Loyola University Maryland, according to the Cornell Basketball Blog.

Eaglin was charged with four Class B felonies and one Class A misdemeanor. He was arraigned Monday and was remanded to the Tompkins County Jail in lieu of $50,000 cash bail or $100,000 bond. A preliminary hearing will be held Friday at 2:30 p.m., according to CUPD.

“The Cornell University Police urge anyone who has been a victim of sexual assault to call 911 to receive police assistance, emergency health care for injuries (appropriate to your circumstance), get access to supportive services and — if you choose to do so — to report a crime,” a CUPD press release reads.

Eaglin was active on Twitter on Sunday, the day of his arrest.

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Eaglin’s arrest follows the expulsion of former Yale basketball captain Jack Montague on Feb. 10 without explanation from Yale administration, according to the Yale Daily News. Montague’s teammates subsequently wore T-shirts printed with the number 4 and “Gucci” — Montague’s number and nickname. Shortly thereafter, posters stating “Stop supporting a rapist” were distributed around the Yale campus, according to the Yale Daily News.

Correction: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated that Eaglin received a scholarship offer from Columbia. In fact, he did not.