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Opening arguments begin Thursday in rape trial for suspended Oklahoma State player Darrell Williams

DarrellWilliams

The trial of suspended Oklahoma State forward Darrell Williams is set to begin Thursday, one month after it was delayed for scheduling reasons.

According to the Associated Press, a jury was chosen yesterday after three days of questioning and opening arguments will begin today.

Williams faces five felony charges, including four counts of rape by instrumentation and one count of sexual battery after an incident at a party in December of 2010 where he allegedly groped two women without their consent.

He missed the entire 2011-12 season due to a suspension handed down by head coach Travis Ford, following Williams’ arrest.

“It goes without saying that we take the charges very seriously,” Oklahoma State coach Travis Ford said in a statement at the time. “Darrell will not travel or play while the legal issues are addressed.”

Four Oklahoma State players-- LeBryan Nash, Cezar Guerrero, Christien Sager, and Philip Jurick—were reportedly in the room to watch the trial’s jury selection Wednesday.

In an interesting detail from the Associated Press, “Assistant District Attorney Jill Tontz asked potential jurors if they would be able to convict someone if there were no physical evidence, such as DNA or fingerprints, and no injuries were suffered during an alleged assault.”

In one season with the Cowboys in 2010-11, Williams averaged 7.1 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. Before coming to Oklahoma State, he spent two years in junior college.

Daniel Martin is a writer and editor at JohnnyJungle.com, covering St. John’s. You can find him on Twitter:@DanielJMartin_