The reason for Mike Green’s plummet in the 2025 NFL Draft involves twice being accused of sexual assault; once in high school and again at the University of Virginia.
At the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine, Marshall edge rusher Mike Green told reporters there have been two allegations of sexual assault against him, both of which he denies.
The first occurred in high school in Williamsburg, Va. As a result, Green signed a zero-tolerance policy with the University of Virginia.
In September 2022, Green was dismissed from the Virginia football team. He then transferred to Marshall, where he played in 2023 and 2024. In his final season, he led the country with 17 sacks and was all but expected to become a first-round pick.
But before the draft arrived in April, Green spoke to reporters during the combine in February and addressed the allegations directly.
“There’s accusations out there. I’ve never been questioned,” Green said. “I’ve never been asked. Nobody ever asked me a question about what happened before I departed from Virginia. It was just accusations that caused me to leave.”
When asked to clarify if he was denying the accusations, Green responded, “Correct. Once again, I’ve done nothing wrong.”
Green spoke for nearly 20 minutes and continued to repeat his innocence.
“You can ask anybody that knows me how I am. … I think what everybody just needs to know is. I’m not this guy that everybody’s trying to portray me to be. That’s online, that’s talking about something that they don’t know about,” Green said.
Green also said after the allegations he could have remained at Virginia.
“I could have stayed at the university if I wanted to,” Green said. “After I got suspended, I wanted a fresh start. I wanted to go somewhere that I was able to lay down a foundation, and that’s what caused me to enter the transfer portal and go to Marshall.”
On Wednesday, February 26, more details of the allegations were made public. However, not all of them have been revealed.
From The Athletic’s Kevin Fishbain, Joseph Person:
The Charlottesville Police Department said Thursday it was notified on Aug. 29, 2022, of an alleged sexual assault involving Green that occurred around 1 a.m. three days prior on West Main Street in Charlottesville. There were no reported injuries nor any damaged or stolen property, according to Charlottesville Police Sgt. Chris Huber.
“The investigation of the case has been suspended,” Huber wrote in an email Thursday.
A University of Virginia spokesperson said the school would not comment on the situation at this time. Marshall University did not respond to a request for comment.