Mercyhurst players Jordan Tibbett and Kyle Just were cleared Thursday of all sexual assault charges stemming from an alleged incident one year ago.
Both players were acquitted of charges of sexual assault, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, aggravated indecent assault and indecent assault against a female freshman.
An Erie County jury deliberated about three hours over two days before delivering the not-guilty verdict Thursday morning.
The player’s lawyers, William Kelly and Philip Friedman, said both want to resume their studies at Mercyhurst and play hockey for the Lakers. Tibbett and Just had been suspended since the allegations surfaced in Nov. 2010.
“We are very pleased with the verdict,” Kelly told the Erie Times-News. “The evidence did not support the charges. These boys have been maligned for something they did not do.
“There was a rush to judgment. These boys absolutely did not force themselves on the complainant. They are both looking forward to putting this behind them.”
