It's looking more and more likely that Maurice Washington is going to be going to California in the very near future. The Nebraska football running back has been under investigation for most of the last year for crimes related to sending a video of his ex-girlfriend allegedly being sexually assaulted, to her, as a way to intimidate or demean her. By doing this, Washington has been accused of engaging in "revenge porn" as well as distributing child pornography since the girl was only 15 at that time.

Cooperation likely means travel for Maurice Washington

Washington's lawyer and the university have said the running back is cooperating with the investigation. While it wasn't entirely clear what that meant, his attorney came out late last night and made it clear that is likely going to mean going back to California where he will turn himself in. This trip would help the running back avoid any sort of messy story about him having to be arrested. When talking about authorities reaching across state lines, there is always the chance things are going to get muddled and messy.

Nebraska football about to enter a new phase of the issue

While Washington is trying to make this whole process as painless as possible, there are real questions that are going to pop up from this situation.

The first question is obviously, when is he going to go? The second question is going to be, how long will he have to be there. The process is not one that is going to be completely cleaned up in a matter of days. The Omaha World-Herald is reporting that the county sheriff in California has voiced his interest in seeing Washington "held accountable" if he's guilty.

That particular comment doesn't seem to indicate the state of California is looking at striking a deal to avoid jail time. While Washington would likely go back to California to turn himself in, and then participate in the early process, he probably won't remain in the state until the case goes to and completes trial (assuming there is one) most likely the Huskers' running back will plead, and post bail and return to Lincoln.

The question is still out there that if he has to miss significant time, even before the completion of the trial or sentencing phase, it's not clear how the Nebraska football team would handle it. The Huskers haven't really had a situation completely similar to this case. There have been players who have been the subject of investigations, but not ones taking place in another state. This is untrod territory for the university and Maurice Washington. That could mean neither party is going to see the pitfalls before they're upon them.
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