A dramatic turn of events left Georgetown basketball fans stunned yesterday evening, as it was reported that sophomore guard James Akinjo and sophomore forward Josh LeBlanc will no longer be a part of the Georgetown basketball program effective immediately. Additionally, both players are expected to enter the transfer pool.
Hoya fans were blindsided by this news. Akinjo was expected to be an All-Big East player for the Hoyas and LeBlanc was a fan favorite and a vocal leader on the court. So, why did this happen out of the blue? Well, since Hoya Paranoia still exists, the University has yet to come forward and officially give the fans a reason for why two of its three all-Big East freshmen from last year were no longer playing for the men’s basketball team and are now transferring. All we can do is give you is what we know so far.
Court Documentation
Casual Hoya first reported that a Preliminary Injunction Order had been issued on November 20th against Josh LeBlanc and Galen Alexander. However, as reported by Thompson’s Towel, a current Georgetown student filed a complaint against these same two on November 5th. The plaintiff states that she “believe[s] Joshua LeBlanc committed [a burglary] against me on September 16, 2019. Joshua threatened bodily harm against myself and my roommate…”
The complaint continued, “He continued to threaten me verbally and via text message in the following week. Joshua has also committed violence against women in the past.”
This complaint is publicly available and was filed as part of a motion to receive a restraining order against LeBlanc. As TT reported, this case is still in the process of being adjudicated; there is no presumption of guilt.
It doesn’t stop there. The same roommate filed a complaint against freshman Myron Gardner on November 12, first reported by George Barnette. In this instance, the plaintiff asserts, “Sexual harassment and assault on 9/15 at my home. Home was burglarized by defendant and two friends on 9/16. (Josh LeBlanc and Galen Alexander).”
The plaintiff has filed reports with both the Georgetown Police Department and the Metropolitan Police Department. She writes, “These three individuals have been harassing and threatening my home and personal harm of bodily injury since reporting.”
As was the case with the first, this second complaint is publicly available. James Akinjo was not mentioned in either case. Neither case has been settled, thus there is no judgment regarding guilt or innocence.
Thompson’s Towel will not be posting any private information of the two Georgetown students who filed the complaint. We ask everyone to please respect their privacy during this time. We also hope that the university is taking the appropriate steps to protect them as victims, as they had allegedly faced repeated harassment from the players according to the complaints filed.
Where does James Akinjo play into all of this?
It’s important to note that James Akinjo was not mentioned in these documents, so it remains unclear whether Akinjo’s dismissal from the program was due to some involvement in the above events, or if it was for different reasons entirely. More information may well be made available in the coming days, but until then, there’s no use speculating as to the nature of Akinjo’s departure.
UPDATE 12/3/19, 1:03 AM: Per The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie, Akinjo’s departure from the team is unrelated to the court issues involving LeBlanc and other Georgetown players.
First off, what was Georgetown thinking by including news of Akinjo and LeBlanc’s departures in the same press release? The program must have known that details of the allegations involving LeBlanc would be uncovered following the news of his leaving the program. By lumping Akinjo in with the LeBlanc news, the program only encouraged the rampant speculation that James was in some way connected to the allegations.
Still, the news that Akinjo’s departure is due to a personal reason leaves a lot of questions unanswered. What could have happened that would have driven him to make such a drastic decision mid-season, rather than simply transferring at season’s end? There is likely much more to the story that has yet to be uncovered.
What To Make of All of This
Georgetown released a statement on the issue, per Evan Daniels.
It’s not the 80’s anymore. You can’t get away with Hoya Paranoia. Vague statements are a disservice to fans, victims, and the players in question. It just leads to more speculation.
From the initial reporting, this is not just a question of basketball, but it’s an existential crisis for the soul of the program. In fact, the university has a lot to reckon with too. Given that the victims in their complaint stated that they had reported it to the campus police, how long did Georgetown know about this, and why did they not take any action until now?
This is about more than basketball. Georgetown University owes it to its students, fans and benefactors to provide answers regarding their response to the allegations mentioned. This mealy-mouthed and vague statement does exactly none of that. There’s a lot of soul-searching that Hoya fans, the basketball program, and Georgetown at large will be doing over the coming days and weeks.
