The Nebraska football program is still reeling from the news that came out on Monday (February 11). Running back Maurice Washington is being investigated for his possible role in the case of a 15-year-old girl who was videotaped allegedly being sexually assaulted. Law enforcement in California believes he might have done enough to be charged with distributing child porn (because of her age) and revenge porn (because Washington is accused of sending her the video months after the fact).

Both the Husker running back's lawyer and the University of Nebraska have said that he is cooperating with authorities.

It appears he has been doing that ever since law enforcement let the athletic department know he was a suspect in an ongoing case. The question now becomes, what does life in Lincoln look like for Maurice Washington when he is done with his cooperation?

Maurice Washington and the chance of a plea deal

It hasn't been made entirely clear what cooperating with authorities means, in this regard. It doesn't appear that he has agreed to return to California, the place of the alleged crime. At least he hasn't returned to the state for a prolonged stay. One of the ways the Nebraska football player could be cooperating is by working out a plea deal with law enforcement. As most people know, any aspect of a deal would have to involve the player admitting his guilt.

That guilt doesn't include his involvement in the actual sexual assault. That's good news.

The bad news is that even if that plea involves probation for revenge porn and child porn distribution, the Huskers would have a decision to make. It would seem the Cornhuskers would have to suspend him for at least a few games with any plea.

In the age of "Me Too," one has to wonder how many games would be viewed as too many, or too few.

Nebraska football hoping for exoneration

It's hard to guess at just how this is going to work out. What is clear is that the investigation into Washington has been going on for a while now.

The authorities contacted the Huskers in the fall of 2018 and didn't feel like things had to move forward until this month.

The events that led up to Maurice Washington's involvement are alleged to have occurred in March 2018. With almost a year passing, it's possible his cooperation and the way the investigation is unfolding could mean the Nebraska football player will be cleared. If that's the case, the team wouldn't have to take any action at all.
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