The Oakland Raiders drafted Ohio State cornerback Gareon Conley in the hopes that he’d be cleared of rape charges, just as he was on Monday.
The Oakland Raiders made a bet on draft day. In picking Ohio State cornerback Gareon Conley with their first round pick at No. 24 overall, the team was hoping that rape allegations brought up in the days before the draft would not stick. Conley swore again and again that the charges were false and that he was innocent, and the Raiders rolled the dice after interviewing him. It looks like the Raiders made the right call, since a grand jury on Monday decided not to bring charges against Conley for the incident.
FOX 8 I TEAM has learned from multiple sources a grand jury has decided not to indict former Ohio State football star Gareon Conley
— Ed Gallek (@edgallekfox8) July 31, 2017
Conley was one of the final two players in the NFL Draft to sign his rookie contract, a sign that the Raiders might have been hoping for the drama to clear before training camp. Unfortunately for them, camp began before a grand jury could or would convene, which meant trusting the story they’d been told (along with any investigative work of their own). In the end, Conley was vindicated and the Raiders have their man.
Conley’s addition should add a significant bonus to a team looking to sharpen its pass defense. The Raiders have done a very nice job adding talent to the secondary. Last season they signed Sean Smith and Reggie Tongue and also drafted Karl Joseph, This year they drafted Conley along with second round safety Obi Melifonwu.
Conley had 26 tackles, 4 interceptions and 8 passes defended last year for the Buckeyes as a junior.