Allen Artis, Tar Heels LB accused of sexual battery, says he's not a rapist

DURHAM, N.C. -- A North Carolina football player facing charges of sexual battery and assault on a female student says the two had consensual sex and that he did not rape nor drug her.

In his first public comments, Allen Artis said Tuesday he isn't a rapist and is eager to get the case behind him. One of his attorneys, Kerry Sutton, also said Artis has passed a polygraph test about the February incident.

"Everything was completely consensual that happened that night," said Artis, who was sitting on a couch in his attorney's home flanked by his mother Stephanie Artis and an aunt, Avis Artis. "That's the truth."

The junior reserve linebacker, indefinitely suspended from the team, turned himself earlier this month on the misdemeanor charges. His next court date is Thursday.

The arrest warrant stated Artis had sex with a female UNC student against her will when he "should have reasonably known that the other person was mentally incapacitated and physically helpless."

The warrant also states he pulled on her bra strap "causing an indentation on her shoulder/back" during the incident.

The woman, Delaney Robinson, said earlier this month she had become intoxicated after being out with friends and unable to consent. The Associated Press typically doesn't identify alleged victims of sexual assault, but Robinson held a Sept. 13 news conference, saying she had filed for the misdemeanor charges after police and prosecutors indicated there wasn't enough evidence to pursue felony charges.

Denise Branch, an attorney representing Robinson, issued a statement reiterating Robinson's allegation that the sex was not consensual.

"On February 14, 2016, my client Delaney Robinson was raped and assaulted by Allen Artis," Branch said in an email to the AP. "On September 13, 2016, she presented admissible evidence in support of her case to a magistrate. As a result, two misdemeanor warrants were issued for the arrest of Allen Artis. Any purported, and inherently unreliable polygraph test does not alter the fact that my client never consented to have sex with Allen Artis."

Orange County district attorney Jim Woodall told the AP on Tuesday that the case remains an ongoing investigation. He said he was aware of the polygraph report, and is also in communication with Branch and Robinson.

"I can't say when it will be complete, and I am personally involved in speaking with the UNC Department of Public Safety," Woodall said. "We did not have a file, we were only advising them, and last week I got the full file. I have reviewed everything that we have to date in the investigation, and I'm going to continue to review it."

Branch has also criticized the way campus police handled a rape kit and the questioning of Artis, a native of Marietta, Georgia.

Artis' indefinite suspension was the result of an automatic university policy when an athlete is charged with a misdemeanor. Any reinstatement would come after a review from athletic director Bubba Cunningham, head coach Larry Fedora and school officials.

Artis has played in 27 career games as a reserve and on special teams with 20 tackles. He had one tackle through the first two games. Team spokesman Kevin Best said Artis last practiced Sept. 11, which was two days before Robinson's news conference.