Former Penn State football players Jameial Lyons and Kaveion Keys both face charges of rape and other sex crimes, according to docket sheets made public Tuesday. Lyons and Keys were dismissed from the university in August.
Lyons faces felony charges of rape, voluntary deviate sexual intercourse and two counts of aggravated indecent assault without consent. He also faces misdemeanor charges of indecent assault and invasion of privacy. Charges against Keys include felony counts of rape, aggravated indecent assault without consent and sexual assault. He also faces a misdemeanor charge of indecent assault.
Both dockets list July 7 as the date of the alleged offenses. The arraignments will be Wednesday afternoon in State College. A preliminary hearing is set for Oct. 30.
“We are aware of the serious charges against Mr. Keys and Mr. Lyons, who are no longer enrolled at the university,” Penn State athletics said in a statement to The Athletic. “The safety of our community is our top priority, and Penn State takes any report of sexual assault or misconduct very seriously and investigates any and all reports.”
It was not clear on Tuesday if Lyons or Keys had representation.
Penn State football coach James Franklin will meet with the media Wednesday night during his usual post-practice availability.
Lyons and Keys were placed on interim suspension in the summer to deal with what a football program spokesman described as a “personal matter.” Neither attended the first day of practice on July 31. Teammates and coaches during the preseason hadn’t spoken about either player when addressing their specific position groups. On Aug. 3, both were no longer on the roster and Franklin did not entertain questions about their dismissal from the university.
Both Lyons and Keys came to Penn State as scholarship players and were expected to be significant contributors this season. Last year Lyons, a defensive end from Philadelphia, appeared in eight games as a freshman and had 2.5 tackles for loss and a sack. Keys, a linebacker from Virginia, redshirted last season.
(Photo of Jameial Lyons (19): Matthew O’Haren / USA Today)
