No charges for U wrestlers in alleged sexual misconduct case

Updated 1:20 p.m. | Posted 12:16 p.m.

Two University of Minnesota wrestlers suspected in an alleged criminal sexual conduct case will not be charged and have been released from jail, the Hennepin County Attorney's Office said Tuesday.

A deadline to charge was set to expire at noon. Prosecutors said the pair couldn't be held any longer without charges but added that the investigation continues.

The prosecutor's office said it expects to continue to review evidence that comes in over the next 90 days.

MPR News typically does not name suspects until they are charged.

The incident follows a series of incidents at the U past few years involving high profile athletes and athletics officials.

The university suspended 10 football players after a woman alleged a sexual assault at an off campus apartment in September of 2016.

Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman also declined to charge any of the athletes in that matter, although the U took disciplinary action against some of them and nine eventually sued the U in response, alleging bias against them.

A star basketball player, Reggie Lynch, challenged the U last year over the school's plans to expel him in the wake of sexual assault allegations. Lynch never faced criminal charges. He later dropped his appeal and left the U to play professional basketball. He's currently on the roster of a team in Estonia.

Athletic director Norwood Teague resigned in 2015 after several high ranking U administrators complained he'd sexually harassed them.

Wrestling coach J. Robinson was fired in 2016 in the wake of allegations that wrestlers were using and selling Xanax, an anti-anxiety drug. Hennepin County authorities had also declined to file criminal charges in that matter.