Editors note: This is a developing story, we will continue to update it as more information becomes available. 

Update 2 p.m. Friday:

In statements made to The Daily Eastern News on Friday, both Eastern and the Eastern Athletic Department admitted they were made aware in May of 2017 of a sexual assault complaint filed by former Eastern soccer player Malorie Henderlong, alleging she was sexually assaulted by a member of the Eastern baseball team.

University spokesperson Josh Reinhart and athletic department spokesperson Rich Moser both said in their respective statements Eastern became aware of the alleged sexual assault on May 6, 2017. Neither statement however addressed which university officials were made aware of the assault and why the player accused of assaulting Henderlong was allowed to return to the team in 2018.

Henderlong told the story of her alleged sexual assault in a YouTube video published on Wednesday. In that video she says she was sexually assaulted by a member of Eastern’s baseball team on April 29, 2017. Henderlong reported the incident to the school and athletic department, she says the player who allegedly assaulted her was allowed to return to the baseball team in 2018, despite the school being aware of the incident.

Update 6:50 p.m. Thursday:

In a statement to the Daily Eastern News Thursday evening Henderlong said:

“As I continued to recover from my own assault, I felt called to use my voice to bring the realities of sexual assault on college campuses to the forefront of conversation. Too frequently are such horrific experiences happening to young men and women around the world,” she said. “I was not called, nor is it my intent, to attack the university or my rapist. I believe God called me to use my voice to let other survivors know they aren’t alone in this battle. So that is what I will continue to do.”

Update 5:30 p.m. Thursday:

The Daily Eastern News reached out to Eastern President David Glassman via email at 11:30 a.m. Thursday, that email was met with no reply as of 5:30 p.m.

The Daily Eastern News also communicated with Eastern’s athletic department via email for a statement on the matter, the athletic department said a statement was forthcoming on Thursday. At 4:40 p.m. however the athletic department said the only statement would be coming from University spokesperson Josh Reinhart.

At 4:30 p.m. The Daily Eastern News received an email from Reinhart who said he would seek out information into the Daily Eastern News media inquiry, but given the time of day, a statement would likely not come from the school until Friday. The News asked why no statement from the school was available on Thursday and received no answer to the question.

Sexual assault allegations measured against Eastern athlete

Former Eastern women’s soccer player Malorie Henderlong uploaded a YouTube video Wednesday in which she alleges she was sexually assaulted by a member of the Eastern baseball team on April 29, 2017 after a party.

Henderlong says in the video that both Eastern President David Glassman and Athletic Director Tom Michael were made aware of the sexual assault allegations against the player in 2017, but the accused player was allowed to finish his 2017 season and played again for Eastern in 2018.

In the video Henderlong said she hoped with Glassman, Michael and EIU Police knowing about the assault it would have been handled properly, but the player being accused was allowed to return to the baseball team the next season.

In a statement to the Daily Eastern News on Thursday Henderlong said:

“As I continued to recover from my own assault, I felt called to use my voice to bring the realities of sexual assault on college campuses to the forefront of conversation. Too frequently are such horrific experiences happening to young men and women around the world,” she said. “I was not called, nor is it my intent, to attack the university or my rapist. I believe God called me to use my voice to let other survivors know they aren’t alone in this battle. So that is what I will continue to do.”

Henderlong said in the video she was happy to share her story so others in her situation knew they were not alone in dealing with life after a sexual assault.

Henderlong says in the video she attended a 21st birthday party for one of her teammates on April 29, 2017, the last weekend of her freshman year at Eastern. Henderlong says the accused player was someone she had grown to trust at Eastern and he had been giving her alcohol at the party throughout the night.

After the party Henderlong said in the video she, the athlete being accused, and a group of friends went to a bar to continue drinking. After the bars closed Henderlong said she knew she was intoxicated and needed to go back to her dorm room, this is when Henderlong says the player picked her up over his shoulder and carried her back to his apartment where he sexually assaulted her in his bedroom. She says she kicked and fought her attacker during the assault.

After the alleged assault Henderlong says in her video she left the apartment and had her friends, Eastern soccer players John Burke and Christian Sosnowski, meet her on campus and walk her back to her dorm. Henderlong said she spent that night crying in her dorm bathroom, kicking walls and punching doors.

Henderlong’s parents came to see her on campus the next morning after a friend of Henderlong’s made them aware of the assault.

Henderlong did not return to Eastern the following year and began to see a counselor in the summer to help cope with the aftermath of the alleged assault. She said a constant “anger and sadness” took over her life as she grappled with the emotional trauma of the assault.

The next year Henderlong committed to play soccer at Spring Arbor University in Michigan.