KU coach Bill Self responds after charge filed against player who recently left team
Kansas basketball coach Bill Self said Wednesday that he was told by Silvio De Sousa “earlier this fall” that authorities had contacted De Sousa about his alleged involvement in an incident last winter that resulted in a felony charge this week.
In a criminal complaint filed Monday in Douglas County District Court, De Sousa is accused of aggravated battery, a Level 5 felony. The Douglas County District Attorney’s office alleges De Sousa “unlawfully, feloniously and recklessly cause(d) great bodily harm or disfigurement to another person.”
A Lawrence police report obtained by The Star shows a battery was reported at 2:36 a.m. Jan. 1 at 1105 Massachusetts Street, which is the address for Brothers Bar & Grill. A 30-year old man is listed as the victim.
Witnesses listed on the charging documents include Lawrence Memorial Hospital emergency room personnel as well as Shawnee Mission Medical Center and a Kansas City eye doctor.
Dorothy Kliem, a trial assistant with the Douglas County District Attorney’s office, said the district attorney’s office received an affidavit and reports from Lawrence police on Sept. 30 and an updated affidavit on Oct. 16 before charges were filed Monday.
De Sousa and KU basketball coach Bill Self said on Oct. 16 that De Sousa was leaving the team to focus on “personal issues.” De Sousa could not be reached for comment Wednesday. His first court appearance is scheduled for Dec. 17.
Self issued a statement Wednesday after The Star asked whether he was aware De Sousa was facing a criminal investigation before the announcement was made that he was leaving the team.
“Earlier this fall, Silvio told me that he had been contacted by local authorities regarding his alleged involvement in an incident on New Year’s Eve,” Self said Wednesday. “He was not aware of the details from that incident until a couple weeks ago, which he then shared with me.
“These allegations were surprising to Silvio, as they were to us. Once we discussed the details, he decided it was in his best interest to opt out and focus on this matter. We mutually agreed that was the best course of action.”
Self’s statement on Oct. 16 referenced a conversation with De Sousa.
“Today, Silvio informed me he was going to opt out of the 2020-21 season and focus on matters in his personal life. Knowing Silvio, it was clear he had been distracted and not fully focused during workouts as of late,” Self said then. “After he and I sat down and talked about that, it was clear this was the best decision for him, and Kansas basketball, to leave the program.”
De Sousa also issued a statement Oct. 16 about leaving the KU team.
“I have made the difficult decision to opt out of this season to focus all of my energies on some personal issues,” De Sousa posted on Twitter. “I have a lot of things weighing on my mind and need to address these by taking time for myself and stepping away from basketball. I do not know what my next plan will be right now, but I will decide that when the time is right.
“This was not an easy decision to leave the basketball program, but it’s the best thing for me to do right now.”
Patrick Compton, a Lawrence police spokesperson, told The Star on Wednesday that a person approached a police officer at a local hospital on Jan. 1 claiming to have been involved in a fight outside of a bar in the 1100 block of Massachusetts Street earlier that morning.
Compton said the police officer was at the hospital working on another case when contacted by the person, who had transported themselves to the hospital. The person was admitted for injuries sustained during the fight, Compton said.
When asked about the length of the police investigation before the case was turned over to prosecutors, Compton said it was approached like any other. He cited the number of witnesses that were interviewed and setting up interviews in the era of COVID as variables.
“So the length of this one is not abnormal when you consider all those factors,” he said.
Kliem said the district attorney’s office reviewed the case “promptly” upon receipt from the police department.
“A charging decision was made promptly thereafter,” she said.
De Sousa was playing for the KU basketball team on Jan. 1. He was later suspended for 12 games for his involvement at the center of a brawl near the end of the KU-Kansas State game Jan. 21 in Allen Fieldhouse. De Sousa threw punches and then briefly lifted a stool above his head and looked as though he was going to swing it. He was among four players suspended.
He was only able to play for the Jayhawks last season because Kansas successfully appealed his two-year NCAA suspension. De Sousa had been ruled ineligible because of alleged payments made by an Adidas employee to De Sousa’s guardian. Those payments were cited in a NCAA notice of allegations sent to KU last fall that charged the basketball program and coach Bill Self with five Level I violations.
This story was originally published October 28, 2020 at 5:06 PM.
