Late Sunday afternoon, in between rounds of confetti showers at Minneapolis’ Target Center, took center stage. The fifth-year guard for Illinois’ men’s basketball team had been voted the most outstanding player of the Big Ten tournament, . Now was the moment to claim his prize. Shannon nudged past elated teammates wearing championship hats and T-shirts on a temporary dais, took a trophy off a table and smiled as he cradled it near his waist.
8, Shannon’s attorneys filed a lawsuit against the University of Illinois Board of Trustees, against the school in an attempt to be reinstated to the team. Eleven days later, U.S. District Court Judge Colleen Lawless ruled the school violated Shannon’s civil rights with the suspension that would cause Shannon “irreparable harm,” depriving him of “protected property interests” without due process.