Now, suddenly, Wisconsin is down two starting wide receivers.
Badgers coach Paul Chryst announced on Wednesday that sophomore Danny Davis III has been suspended for the first two games of the season. Davis is mentioned in the ongoing legal case involving leading wideout Quintez Cephus.
"Should further information become available that warrants a reevaluation of the length of the suspension, I will assess that information," Chryst said in a statement. "We have a high standard of conduct within our football program and we cannot accept behavior that is not consistent with that standard."
Cephus was suspended this week with the school citing the athletic department's discipline policy. Cephus, who previously announced over the weekend that he was taking a leave of absence from the team, is facing second-and third-degree sexual assault charges stemming from an April incident in which he allegedly assaulted two women. Davis, Cephus' roommate, is named in the complaint for taking photos of the women. Cephus said one photo was taken and deleted.
According to the complaint, the two women met Cephus at the Double U, a local bar, and ended up back at his apartment. Both women were heavily intoxicated with one saying she was "going in and out of consciousness," while the other states she didn't remember how she got home.
Cephus has previously stated he plans to clear his name of the charges. "I have been wrongfully accused of unlawful conduct and I am innocent of any allegations associated with this consensual relationship" he wrote in his statement.
Davis has not been charged in the incident.
Wisconsin's first two games of the season are at home against Western Kentucky and New Mexico. No timetable has been set for Cephus, who is set to appear in court on Thursday, to return to the team.
Despite having his 2017 season cut short with a leg injury, Cephus was the top returning wideout with 501 yards and six touchdowns in just nine games. Davis appeared in 12 games and finished the year with 26 catches for 418 yards and five touchdowns.
