Police: Woman accuses two Vols football players of 'forcible rape'

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photo A.J. Johnson and Michael Williams

KNOXVILLE -- A 19-year-old woman has accused University of Tennessee football players A.J. Johnson and Michael Williams of forcible rape, according to an incident report released Tuesday by the Knoxville Police Department.

Johnson, the Volunteers' leading tackler and two-time All-Southeastern Conference linebacker, and Williams, a cornerback with five starts this season, were suspended Monday from all team-related activities after two 19-year-old women reported a rape and sexual assault to police early Sunday morning.

No charges have been filed in the case against either player.

According to the two-page police report, one woman told police she was raped by Johnson, 22, and Williams, 21, in an apartment at The Woodlands, which is a couple of miles off the university's campus.

The second woman, who was visiting from out of state, told police that Williams had sexually assaulted her, but she has elected not to prosecute and has returned to Florida, police spokesman Darrell DeBusk said Monday.

Both women were taken to UT Medical Center for treatment, according to police.

The Knoxville Police Department investigation into the alleged incident continues, and once it is completed the direction of the case will be in the hands of the district attorney's office.

"They will look at the investigation and the facts that we have in the case, and then they'll make the decision on whether there should be charges filed and what those charges should be," DeBusk said Monday.

It is not known whether Johnson, a team captain, or Williams, who's also on Tennessee's track team, have retained attorneys in the case.

In October, Florida suspended quarterback Treon Harris two days after he led the Gators to a 10-9 comeback win against the Vols in Knoxville after a woman accused the freshman of sexual battery. He was cleared to return when the accuser withdrew the complaint that Friday, but he did not play in Florida's game that week.

It appears unlikely that either Johnson or Williams will play when Tennessee hosts 19th-ranked Missouri on Saturday night at Neyland Stadium in the Vols' final home game of the season.

Contact staff writer Patrick Brown at pbrown@timesfreepress.com.

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