Wisconsin Fans Taunting Illinois' Terrence Shannon With `No Means No' Reportedly Stopped By Big Ten

The Wisconsin fans at Target Center were poking fun at Illinois guard Terrence Shannon for his suspension earlier this season for rape allegations

Illinois guard Terrence Shannon was greeted with a chant from the Wisconsin fans each time he went to the foul line during Sunday's Big Ten title game. 

A section of the Badgers fans would chant "No Means No" as Shannon prepared to shoot. It was in reference to Shannon facing rape allegations stemming from an incident last September. 

According to Brian Hamilton of The Athletic, the Big Ten has since stopped the chant. It was caught early in the first half. 

Wisconsin band members confirmed the "No means no" chant was shut down by the Big Ten.

I asked the Big Ten official who addressed the band for the reason why, and was told, "Are we seriously going to argue about this right now?"

— Brian Hamilton (@_Brian_Hamilton) March 17, 2024

Shannon has kept a low profile since rejoining the team in late January.

He hasn't spoken to the media in more than three months. The only talking he's done has been on the court.

The Illini have kept the focus on basketball since Shannon was suspended six games in December because of rape allegations. He rejoined the team after a federal judge reinstated him. The alleged incident occurred Sept. 9 in Lawrence, Kan., while the Illini football team was in town playing the Jayhawks.

Illinois coach Brad Underwood said Shannon has dealt with the situation well.

"Great. He's handled it like a professional," Underwood said. "He knows there's a serious situation out there. He's been an unbelievable teammate but he's been great. He's handled it. His work ethic hasn't changed. It took him a little bit to come back because he's a great, been very professional."

Shannon, who scored a career-high 40 points in Saturday's victory against Nebraska, leads the Illini in today's Big Ten tournament championship versus Wisconsin. The Illini have already clinched an at-large berth but a win would help improve their seeding the NCAA Tournament. 

Shandel Richardson is the publisher of Illini Now. He can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com